Why Toyota "Prius" is often stolen all over the world Why is Toyota "Prius" targeted?What is the global reason for stealing the Prius in the shadow of Japan's popularity?
Furthermore, we do not count all the units stolen in Japan, such as being limited to cases where the insurance was paid for being recognized as stolen.
Prius (2019: 793 units / 2020: 517 units), Land Cruiser (2019: 654 units / 2020: 395 units) are the number of stolen vehicles by vehicle type, which is obtained by extracting vehicle theft data including police agency statistics from related materials. ).
On July 6, 2021, some media reported that the Prius was stolen because it was used as a foot for thieves.
This is quiet and convenient, such as when a hybrid vehicle travels in a residential area at night.
In fact, there are many cases where the Prius is shown in the video of the security camera that recorded the state of the vehicle theft, and even in the sighting case that would have been looking for the stolen car, "Four foreign-style men were riding on the Prius. I hear the report.
However, there are other reasons why the Prius is often stolen.
Most of the cars stolen in Japan are dismantled and taken overseas as parts.
Exporting a finished vehicle requires an "export notification", and it is obligatory to return the license plate and register for export cancellation, so it is separated and pushed into a container and smuggled overseas as parts.
In the case of cars such as the Prius and Land Cruiser that are running overseas, there is high demand in the aftermarket as used repair parts.
Among those parts these days, one of the parts that is being traded at a particularly high price is the "catalytic converter".
A catalytic converter is a device that purifies pollutants contained in exhaust gas that adversely affect the environment and the human body through oxidation and reduction reactions.
A device installed in the exhaust system of a car purifies three substances in exhaust gas: hydrocarbons (HC), carbon monoxide (CO), and nitrogen oxides (NOx).
Expensive platinum, palladium, and rhodium are used in this catalyst, and prices have skyrocketed worldwide since 2020.
The parts that have been stolen rapidly in the United States and the United Kingdom are especially targeted for hybrid cars made in Japan such as the Prius.
A catalytic converter can be stolen in a few minutes by cutting the connecting parts under the car, so it can be said that the cost performance that is "easy to steal and expensive" is a good part.
Regarding the theft situation in the United States, Mr. A, who lives near Los Angeles, said as follows.
"The biggest event in America right now is the theft of catalytic converters.
The most popular is the Prius catalytic converter, which is often stolen even if it is parked in front of the house.
It is important if it is stolen because of very expensive parts (200,000 to 300,000 yen).
At night, there are many cases where only the catalytic converter is removed from the car parked in front of the house and stolen. In some areas, nearby hybrid cars were all damaged overnight. "
why? Are Japanese hybrid cars targeted?
Theft of catalytic converters is increasing rapidly not only in the United States but also in the United Kingdom.
According to the Metropolitan Police Department's Automotive Crime Countermeasures Team, the number of catalytic converter thefts in London, which was 9,500 in 2019, surged to about 15,000 in 2020. Police outside London have also reported increased theft of catalytic converters.
According to Zurich Insurance of the United Kingdom, claims for catalytic converters have increased by 450% in the two years from 2019, and about 80% of theft claims are for hybrid vehicles of Toyota, Lexus and Honda. ..
Most occur when the car is parked on the road or parking lot near home, but it seems that there are many cases where the owner is stolen in the supermarket parking lot where he is shopping.
By the way, three-way catalysts that use expensive metals are installed in most gasoline-powered vehicles produced since the 1990s, but why are hybrid vehicles such as the Prius (especially older generations) often targeted? ..
There are two main reasons.
1. Older generation catalysts contain more expensive precious metals such as palladium and rhodium.
2. Since it has two power sources, an electric motor and gasoline, the catalytic converter is used less frequently for the treatment of contaminants (= the metal inside the catalyst is less likely to corrode and the value increases).
Toyota UK has issued the following warning on its official website.
"The second-generation (2004-2009) and third-generation (2009-2016) Prius with high precious metal content and the second-generation" Auris Hybrid (2012-2018) are more likely to be targeted. ..
The new hybrid vehicle's catalytic converter reduces the amount of precious metals by up to 84%, so the new Yaris and others have a low risk of theft. "
In addition to calling attention, overseas Japanese car brands, including Toyota UK, are actively developing catalyst theft prevention activities by manufacturers, and have introduced a protective device called Catloc and a system that can track the whereabouts of stolen catalysts. I am.
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By the way, you can tell immediately when the vehicle body disappears from the parking lot, but there is a drawback that it is difficult to notice at first glance the car with the catalytic converter removed.
In the case of a car whose catalytic converter has been stolen, when the engine is started, the engine check lamp comes on due to an abnormality in the O2 sensor, and above all, the exhaust noise becomes explosive, so it seems that many people notice the change for the first time.
The fact that the chances of getting in a car by refraining from going out is decreasing and it takes several days to notice that it has been stolen may be one of the reasons why the theft of catalytic converters is increasing worldwide.
