Filed under: Trucks/Pickups, Government/Legal, Cadillac, GM
Escalade EXT tops list of most stolen luxury vehicles
There are many different ways you can determine a vehicle's success, like sales volume, the amount of days on the lot it takes to sell the vehicle, or the number of rebates (or lack thereof) on the hood. One less desirable measure of a vehicle's cache however, is the rate at which it is stolen. And if you go by that, boy oh boy, is the Cadillac Escalade popular.
Each year, the Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI) assembles data of the average theft loss rates for vehicles in every price range, which includes everything from the theft of wheels, radios, and other components to the whole car itself. Dan Leinert at Forbes assembled a list of the top seven luxury vehicles in terms of theft loss rates, and the Escalade EXT is far and above the most popular vehicle for thieves. While the mean theft loss rate spanning vehicles of all price ranges carries a score of 100, the Escalade checks in at a staggering 1728. This number, which is highest in the luxury category, is even more impressive when considering that the number two vehicle, the BMW 7-Series, received a score of 431.
Also amazing is that almost one quarter of all Escalade theft reports total over $40,000, which means thieves are taking the whole car. The average claim amount for an Escalade is almost $18,000, which is over $14,000 per claim more than the Ford Taurus, which owns the lowest claim frequency. Big theft items on Cadillac's best-selling SUV are those super-bling 22' rims, and the 'Slade's backseat DVD player.
Of all the Escalade variants, the EXT pickup has the worst theft rate of all, with an overall rate 16 times higher than average. We knew the Escalade was popular, but we didn't think it would go this far. Check out Forbes' list of the luxury vehicles with the highest theft rate after the jump.
[Source: Forbes]
Forbes list of highest luxury vehicle theft rates (with theft loss score)
1. Cadillac Escalade EXT pickup 1728
2. BMW 7 Series long-wheelbase sedan 431
3. Land Rover Range Rover SUV 351
3. Lincoln Navigator four-wheel-drive SUV 351
5. Lexus GS sedan 243
6. Mercedes-Benz S-Class long-wheelbase sedan 227
7. Mercedes-Benz SL-Class convertible 209
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
HatchesNotWanted 8:22AM (4/26/2007)
Nice job on the graphic! =)
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Randall 8:29AM (4/26/2007)
Swiper-no swiping!
Swiper-no swiping!
Swiper-no swiping!
OOOooooooh Man!
That picture looks strangely familiar?
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regguy 8:49AM (4/26/2007)
"Lies, damn lies, and statistics in the hands of clueless journalists"
This "new" news is from a June 2006 HLDI release!
The stats are NOT indicative of "theft rates" or "most stolen" but rather per HLDI on this link with the data
http://www.iihs.org/brochures/ictl/ictl.html
"Theft losses indicate the relative average loss payments for theft per insured vehicle year filed under comprehensive coverages"
In other words, expensive vehicles cost more to replace. This is a list for insurers to justify whacking customers based on average payouts per incident and is NOT frequency of thefts.
To see the real list of actual vehicle thefts and rates based on FBI NCIC data, the latest year is for 2004 and can be found by doing a search for ...theft AND data...on this link in 2006 FR
http://www.gpoaccess.gov/fr/advanced.html
You will find in the October 10, 2006 Final Rule from NHTSA the actual numbers and theft rates based on sales.
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Rastus 10:16AM (4/26/2007)
I wonder how this will affect "GM, the World's Second-Largest Automaker"?
Anyone who pays 40+ large for that rolling POS DESERVES to live in a ghetto.
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fannibal 10:56AM (4/26/2007)
To be politically correct, the conclusion would be- a lot of luxury car owners who buy cadillac escalades live in high crime areas. ;-)
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Rick Lyon 11:44AM (4/26/2007)
@3 Randall- Took my joke, beat me to it :)
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Steve 11:52AM (4/26/2007)
fannibal,
Your conclusion only holds if the cars are stolen at home. About all you can really read into this is, if you're going to steal a car, steal an expensive one--jail time is the same so why do time for a Kia.
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Mr. Oak 11:56AM (4/26/2007)
Anyone who pays 40+ large for that rolling POS DESERVES to live in a ghetto.
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First of all, you're way out of line. It really irks me when jackassses like you make ignorant stereotypes. I live in an affluent suburb, and in my neighborhood the people I mostly see driving these things are white women ages 25 to 40. Mind you, these people also have second and third vehicles. Yep. See them at the Golf courses in Morristown NJ and the Mall in Short Hills NJ too. Almost everyone I've seen at Home Depot or Lowes was driven by someone white, because no self-respecting brother would haul lumber in his blinged out EXT.
3. Most of the people in the "Ghettoes" as you put it, that drive Escalades are business owners that can write it off, also it is very popular amongst Cops and Correction Officers.
4. Most people that own businesses in the "Ghettoes", don't live there. It's where they work.
5. To address the source of your idiotic stereotype, I don't know of many Rap stars that have "made it" or professional athletes that still live in the Ghettoes. Try Bernardsville, West Chester, Long Island, Rockland County etc.
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Mr. Oak 12:13PM (4/26/2007)
Another thing, when these things are stolen, they're usually stripped for the ridiculously expensive parts. Airbags, Xenon lights, Rims and Nav and DVD systems. Or the end up on container ships to South America or Russia.
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Duck 12:20PM (4/26/2007)
#1 and #5
To make such observations, I'm sure that both of you must actually LIVE in a ghetto. For that, my heart goes out and I hope that you two work hard enough to one day make it out of that environment :(
From someone on the outside looking in, I have never seen a proliferation of this vehicle or any other luxury vehicle in the 'ghetto'. Further, I'm sure neither one of you 'ghettoans' (haha that's not even word) would be able to produce any study, article, or reference that would support your claims of ignorance.
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Rico 12:28PM (4/26/2007)
I wonder how this works: do they just steal the car and then decide if they just strip it or ship it, or do they just steal cars that have been ordered by "customers"?
I also wonder: in terms of percentage, are a lot of Ferraris and Lamborghinis getting boosted? Because you can't really strip them for parts, and shipping a whole Ferrari or Lambo must be rather difficult. It must be like stealing a Picasso: you can't sell it anywhere because it's unique.
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Gooch 12:38PM (4/26/2007)
#9 and 10 -- I was about to make the same observations, but you beat me to them. Just because idiots like #1 and #5 see Escalades and whatnot on popular music videos, they seem to think these are the vehicles of choice for "ghetto" people (and we all know who people think they are).
I have seen far more old white people driving Escalades than any other race. Yes, even blinged-out Slades sitting on 22s. It's really stupid to make remarks like those, Avinash and Rastus. But it's okay -- I realize the mentality level here sometimes fails to get above fifth grade.
Most expensive vehicles that are stolen are bound for overseas destinations. You'd be surprised how many Escalades you'd see in Russia and China, for instance.
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phewop118 12:40PM (4/26/2007)
These things have onstar and can be tracked. Their engines can also be disabled, so why do so many 2007 ones have such high claims, especially since onstar is free for the 1st year? This is fishy. Also, with GM's passkey system, the car can't be started unless the coded key is in the ignition. Hmmmm.
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Don 5:15PM (4/26/2007)
Well, that's not surprising.
It's ghetto-fabulous.
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big L 12:20AM (4/27/2007)
I was on a jury trial. the accused was charged with driving a vehicle without the owners permisson. that is like being charged with stealing a car but no one saw you. So, yep, it was an Escalade EXT.
With the big rims. And the man calls his friend to pick him up. so he waits an hr and then on the way home to L>A., they spot HIS Escalade on the fwy!
It took 27 mins for us to return a guilty verdict.
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