Luxury car, interior
Fewer luxury car and 4x4 thefts
First quarter of 2007 records drop in thefts of luxury cars and 4x4
After two years of an increase in car thefts, Ituran and Pointer, who provide vehicle tracking services, have reported a large drop in robberies of the hottest cars in the stolen vehicle market: Luxury cars and 4x4s.
Both companies' summaries of the first quarter of 2007 show that there has been a 57-72 percent plunge in the number of Mercedes, BMWs, and Audis stolen compared to the first quarter of 2006.
There has also been a decrease in 4x4 thefts, although the figures presented by both companies differ greatly; Pointer registered a 67 percent fall, while Ituran recorded 36 percent drop.
Although pick-up trucks are a common preference for car thieves, both companies also reported a drop in the number of trucks stolen.
Data from both reports show that cars are more likely to be stolen from central Israel than from other areas of the country.
According to Pointer, Tel Aviv is the busiest city for car thieves.
Ituran's report reveals that cars manufactured between the years 2000-2002 are most popular among car thieves. New cars, from 2006, total only 13 percent of cars stolen.
This is not surprising as most cars are stolen for their parts, and the need for spare parts arises when insurance companies are no longer required to cover original parts for the vehicle.
