LoJack Releases Seventh Annual Vehicle Theft Recovery Report

Today, LoJack and CalAmp are pleased to announce the release of our seventh annual Vehicle Theft Recovery Report for 2015.* We announced the data with a news release and accompanying infographic this morning.

As evident by analyzing the data, the auto theft market is changing. If you are a regular reader of this blog, you’re probably aware of the “Connected Vehicle Thief” Era. This is an era in which auto thefts are increasingly being perpetrated by a smarter thief using more advanced tactics, often connected to a large auto theft ring. The connected vehicle thief increasingly targets high-end vehicles that can be sold in the international black market. Tactics such as use of mystery devices to unlock vehicles, carjacking and vehicle cloning are now widespread.

Key statistics in the seventh installment of the LoJack Vehicle Theft Recovery Report include:

• Law enforcement officials recovered more than $112 million in stolen vehicles equipped with the LoJack® Stolen Vehicle Recovery System in 2015.
• Among the top models valued over $30,000 which were stolen and recovered in 2015 were the Ford F-Series of pickup trucks and the Land Rover Range Rover, both vehicles which can be exported for a lucrative profit in foreign markets, especially in countries where those models aren’t available.
• Continuing a trend from past years, five of the top six most stolen and recovered models were Honda, Toyota and Nissan sedans. As Japanese brands have become more popular and parts and supplies more readily available globally, today’s connected car thief has found continued demand for those models and their parts.

As Pat Clancy, Vice President of Law Enforcement for LoJack, noted in today’s press release: “Our vehicles have become an extension of our digitally-enabled lives and carry sensitive personal information about us. Each time a vehicle is stolen, it impacts the owner far beyond the loss of property.”

Fortunately, law enforcement officials, partnering with LoJack, are getting even smarter and more effective at recovering stolen vehicles, minimizing the potential damage to owners. More than 90 percent of vehicles equipped with the LoJack System were recovered in 2015.

For more examples of how law enforcement agencies are contending with today’s connected thief, be sure to visit our Auto Theft Blog each month, and ‘Like’ us on Facebook.

*All recovery data is derived from both 2015 LoJack Recovery Data taken from internal sources.  The 2014 LoJack Vehicle Theft Recovery Report is gathered from data provided by 28 states via Nlets as well as California law enforcement, and is specific to stolen cars, trucks and SUVs equipped with a LoJack® Stolen Vehicle Recovery System that were recovered from January to December 2015.  Used car values are best estimates derived from NADA Guide web services values and clean retail value from NADAGuides.com for the make, model and year of the vehicle in the month that it was recovered.