THIEVES REALLY LIKE THESE VEHICLES

"...Clear evidence that the Cadillac Escalade is in high demand"

KING OF THE STOLEN VEHICLES We're used to seeing the Honda Accord or Toyota Camry at the top of the list of most stolen cars in America. These list usually don't factor in cars stolen per vehicles on the road. Accordingly, the best-selling cars end up on the list as a result of their overwhelming numbers. When adjusted for the number of vehicles on the road, however, the most popular vehicle on the latest list is an American car - more specifically, it's the Cadillac Escalade. The figures are from a new report from the Highway Loss Data Institute, a research group funded by insurance companies. The HLDI study adjusts for the total number of each vehicle and is narrowed to model year 2000-2002 vehicles. When informed of the study, General Motors put their best spin on it. "While we regret any vehicle being stolen, this is clear evidence that the Cadillac Escalade is in high demand," said GM in a statement. In defense of the Escalade, GM points out that it comes standard with various anti-theft devices including an alarm system and the OnStar remote assistance service. The OnStar service gets 400-500 calls a month from customers seeking to locate stolen vehicles, according to GM. According to the Highway Loss Date Institute, the Escalade also tops the HLDI's ranking for average theft loss payments per insured vehicle per year. Insurance companies paid out $167 per year in theft claims, on average, for every insured Escalade, says the HLDI. That's more than double the amount for the next highest vehicle - , the Chevrolet Corvette Convertible. Insurance companies paid out an average of $75 in theft claims for every Corvette convertible they insured. The average for all vehicles was $15. Bismarck Man's Car is Stolen Three Times in Six Days Someone in Bismarck North Dakota has the Escalade beat: Police told the Bismarck Tribune that the dark purple Ford Contour was stolen three times in six days. According to the Tribune, Lt. Mike Wardzinski said the car was first reported stolen on January 20th. It was found and towed back to the man's house early Tuesday, only to disappear a few hours later. It was found later in the day. The car was stolen again on Wednesday. Police recovered the vehicle the next day. Wardzinski informed the Tribune that there were no keys inside the car and the doors were locked each time the car was stolen. The owner told police it didn't look like anyone had forced their way into the car. Police have no suspects and are investigating the case. Wardzinski said it appears someone else has a set of keys to the car. "The thefts will likely stop now," Wardzinski told the Trubune. "One of the car's wheel assemblies was damaged in the most recent theft." - Roy Nakano This article comes courtesy of our LA Car Blog.