Insurance Study Names Cadillac Escalade Most Likely to Be Stolen

The bold and shiny luxury sport utility vehicle that is the most popular among celebrities, star athletes, and hip-hop gangsta rappers is also the most popular among car thieves as well. According to the Highway Loss Data Institute, an affiliate of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, Escalades had the highest rate of insurance theft claims for the fourth year in a row.

The study released Wednesday found that the second most stolen models are the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution and the Dodge Ram 1500 quad cab pickup. Study researchers noted that criminals are most likely attracted by the plethora of fancy features offered by the Escalade, such as chrome wheels, leather seats, and rear-seat DVD systems. The high-profile marketing campaign Cadillac uses to make consumers drool over the Escalade regularly displays it as the most hip and trendy vehicle out there among a sea of plain old vanilla SUVs.

A division of General Motors Corp., Cadillac sells the new 2007 Escalade at a starting price of $57,280. The 2007 model comes equipped with an improved anti-theft ignition mobilizer to prevent the SUV from being started without the proper key, with the company hoping that the new technology will result in their vehicle being dethroned from its four-year run as the reigning theft king. But Spokesman David Caldwell says that the theft rate is "an unfortunate byproduct of the desirability of the vehicle."

The institute assessed theft claims per 1,000 insured vehicles from model years 2003 to 204 to calculate which newer vehicles were most likely to be stolen. The Escalade had a claim rate of 13.2, while the Lancer Evolution had a rate of 11.9. The Lancer Evolution, a high-performance version of the Lancer with more than twice the horsepower, is probably popular among car thieves because of its special tires, wheels, and rear spoilers. Specific locations affected loss rates in some cases. The study found that the Dodge Stratus, Chrysler Sebring, and Plymouth Breeze all had high theft losses in Washington, D.C. Around New York City, the 2003 Nissan Maxima and Lexus RX 330, both of which have expensive Xenon headlights, had a high number of losses.

The lowest-ranking car was the Ford Taurus, with a rate of 0.3. Closely following it was the Pontiac Vibe, with a 0.4 rating, and the Buick LeSabre and Park Avenue, both ranking at 0.5. For pickups, however, theft rates have increased sharply since 999, with high claims being filed for the Dodge Ram and the Ford F-250 and F-350 trucks. The Ram is potentially more desirable to thieves because of its available option of 20-inch wheels that are capable of being fitted on previous versions of the truck.

Kim Hazelbaker, senior vice president of the Highway Loss Data Institute, said that the study’s findings aren’t really surprising. "This is the car that Tony Soprano drives. It’s seen in a lot of rap videos. There are a lot of NFL players who are photographed in it. Hazelbaker said that about 25% of the theft insurance claims for Escalades are in the amount of $40,000 or more, which indicates that thieves are stealing entire vehicles rather than just stripping out parts. Hazelbaker is also not surprised by the results of the study. "It’s part of our pop culture as a very large, flashy SUV."