These Car Brands Are Being Targeted As Motor Vehicle Theft Soars

Vehicle theft is on the rise in multiple major U.S. cities, with two car brands contributing to much of the increase, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Automobile thefts are up 33.5% in 32 large cities in the U.S. during the first six months of 2023 as compared to the same period in 2022, with the theft of Kias and Hyundais leading the pack, according to the WSJ. The increase in vehicle thefts started occurring after widely publicized social media videos showing the ease of stealing the vehicles spread all over the internet.

“The year-to-year increase is due to the fact of how easy the Kias and Hyundais are to steal,” Sgt. Garrett Parten of the Minneapolis Police Department told the WSJ.

Some cities across the country such as Seattle, Portland, and Cleveland have filed lawsuits against Kia and Hyundai due to the ease of theft of their vehicles causing an increase in vehicle-related crime. The car manufacturers recently settled a $200 million class-action lawsuit by car owners, according to the WSJ.

The company is working on ways to fix the mass theft, such as installing antitheft software at dealerships, a Hyundai spokesperson told the WSJ.

Hyundai and Kia did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.