Cars That Thieves Don't Want (BLOG)

The Highway Loss Data Institute recently released its annual list of the most- and least-stolen vehicles, and a perusal of the top 10 most stolen cars list indicates thieves still favor large pickups and SUVs. The No. 1 stolen car of the year, for instance, was the Cadillac Escalade, a large luxury SUV. Thieves are also going for large cars known for their power (or Hemi) engines, including the Chrysler 300, Dodge Charger and Nissan Maxima.

Conversely, the cars appearing on the least-stolen list tend to be small or midsize vehicles that are more sedate in appearance and, as senior vice president of the Highway Loss Data Institute Kim Hazelbaker says, in some cases just not worth going to jail for.

"It's a mixed bag of vehicles," Hazelbaker says. That mixed bag includes some unexpected vehicles.

Measuring the madness
The Highway Loss Data Institute bases its ranking on data provided by insurers representing about 80% of the market for privately insured vehicles.

That means it doesn't include information on thefts of uninsured vehicles or vehicles insured by non-reporting companies. It also doesn't address whether the theft was of the entire vehicle, vehicle parts or vehicle contents, instead identifying which cars are most often targeted by thieves across the board.

Claim frequencies are determined per 1,000 insured vehicles and form the basis of the ranking. Vehicles are from 2008-10 model years unless otherwise noted.

Mini Cooper Clubman
Claim frequency: 0.7
Average loss payment per claim: $1,883
Vehicle size/type: Mini two-door car

Chevrolet Aveo (2008-2010)
Claim frequency: 0.6
Average loss payment per claim: $7,642
Vehicle size/type: Mini station wagon

BMW 5 Series 4WD
Claim frequency: 0.7
Average loss payment per claim: $12,200
Vehicle size/type: Large luxury car

Hazelbacker explains that one of the reasons BMW's 5 series and (spoiler alert!) two other luxury vehicles popped up on the list of least-stolen vehicles is that these types of cars have excellent ignition immobilizers, which prevent vehicles from being hot-wired.

"It's a technical issue," he says, explaining that one of the reasons pickups are popular amongst thieves is that, until recently, they didn't have immobilizers as part of their standard equipment package.

Saturn Vue
Claim frequency: 0.6
Average loss payment per claim: $3,747
Vehicle size/type: Midsize SUV

Lexus RX 350(2010)
Claim frequency: 0.6
Average loss payment per claim: $6,084
Vehicle size/type: Midsize luxury SUV

Chevrolet Equinox 4WD (2010)
Claim frequency: 0.6
Average loss payment per claim: $4,870
Vehicle size/type: Midsize SUV

Volkswagon CC (2009-10)
Claim frequency: 0.6
Average loss payment per claim: $7,098
Vehicle size/type: Midsize car

Chevrolet Equinox (2010)
Claim frequency: 0.6
Average loss payment per claim: $2,069
Vehicle size/type: Midsize SUV
(The Chevrolet Equinox and the Chevrolet Equinox 4WD are the same car with different features.)

Mercury Mariner
Claim frequency: 0.5
Average loss payment per claim: $1,970
Vehicle size/type: Small SUV

Audi A6 4WD
Claim frequency: 0.5
Average loss payment per claim: $16,882
Vehicle size/type: Large luxury car

In addition to having better immobilizers, Hazelbaker attributed Audi's disfavor to its appearance; along with its luxury counterparts the Lexus RX350 and the BMW 5 series, availability issues also prevent theft. For instance, he says, these cars "are more likely to be spending the night in a suburban garage" than on a city street.

Honda Announces Global Recall of Nearly 1 Million Vehicles (BLOG)

Honda announced Monday that it would recall about 960,000 vehicles globally for problems with the window switches and hybrid powertrains.

In the U.S., the affected models are primarily the CR-V and CR-Z hybrid. For the CR-V crossover, 80,111 units from model year 2006 are affected by a problem that leads to residue from cleaners building up on the power-window master switch, damaging the electrical contacts and possibly leading to a fire.

Cops snag $2 million worth of street racing supercars in huge bust (BLOG)

With abundant wildlife and crystal-clear freshwater lakes, Canada has some of the most impressive stretches of untouched wilderness left on the face of the Earth. But the country also has highways, fast cars, and law enforcement. Those three things came together in one of the biggest illegal street racing busts in recent memory.




Audi R8A crew of 13 speed demons were reportedly on their way to get some food when they decided to put their pricey sports cars to the test on a strip of Vancouver highway. Two vehicles formed a rolling road block to clear the way for the racers to face off. In carscarrying nameplates like Ferrari, Maserati, and Audi, the opponents put the pedal to the metal and reached speeds of over 125 mph.



With no police around to catch them in the act, bystanders and other drivers feverishly summoned law enforcement. When the cops eventually wrangled all 13 racers to the side of the road, they found that not one of the drivers was over the age of 21, and 6 of the 13 carried only "N," or Novice class licenses.




Lamborghini GallardoIn British Columbia, N class licenses require drivers to place a large N sticker on the back of their vehicles, and they are prohibited from carrying more than one passenger. Run-ins with the law are especially critical for N class drivers, and any single infraction can mean immediate suspension of driving privileges and a reboot of the progress they've made towards a full drivers license.



Along with handing out fines of nearly $200 to each participant for "Driving without Reasonable Consideration," and all 13 of the high-dollar street machines were confiscated by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Totaling over $2 million, the vehicles are now impounded for an unspecified amount of time. Here is a full list of the cars, along with their base retail price:
2005 Aston Martin DB9 - $155,000
2009 Audi R8 - $110,000
2007 Ferrari 599 - $270,000
2010 Lamborghini Gallardo - $202,000
2010 Lamborghini Gallardo - $202,000
2009 Lamborghini Gallardo - $198,000
2010 Maserati Turismo - $135,000
2010 Maserati Turismo - $135,000
2011 Mercedes SL63 - $139,000
2011 Mercedes SLS - $183,000
2010 Nissan GT-R - $80,000
2010 Nissan GT-R - $80,000
2012 Nissan GT-R - $84,000

As the police didn't actually catch the racers in the act — and had to rely on witness accounts and statements made by those involved — the youngsters will avoid more serious consequences. Had the Vin Diesel wannabes been observed by the RCMP blocking the highway and using it as a racetrack, they may have faced complete forfeiture of their expensive cars. As it stands now, they'll likely have their supercars back on the road within a few days with nothing more than $550 in fines.
[Image credit: M 93, Hertj94]