Honda (NYSE:
HMC
) is responsible for manufacturing the first and second most stolen
cars in the United States. According to the
National Insurance Crime Bureau
, the 1994 Accord -- which is still fairly popular and lacks any
significant security features -- was stolen more than any other
vehicle in 2011. The 1998 Civic came in second place.
This news comes at a time when the company is struggling to
maintain its value. Honda shares rose this month after the
automaker reported
strong growth in China
. The company also gained a boost from a
surprising surge in profits
.
Regardless, Honda is still trading over 10 percent lower than it
was six months ago.
Today's report is likely to be ignored by the investor
community, which is more concerned with the prospect of another
recall. In July, Honda recalled
more than 320,000 cars and SUVs
.
While '90s vehicles continue to be a hot commodity among
thieves, Ford (NYSE:
F
) came in third place with two surprising trucks -- the 2006 F-150
and F-250. Both vehicles were manufactured with special keys that
include a chip to prevent thieves from starting the vehicle without
the key.
Ford's F-Series proved to be the newest vehicles in the lineup.
The 1991Toyota (NYSE:
TM
) Camry -- the fourth-most stolen car in America -- turned out to
be the oldest.
Dodge's 2000 Caravan rounded out the top five. However, it was
not the only vehicle on the list manufactured by Dodge, as the
company also produced the eighth-most stolen vehicle, the 2004
Dodge pickup (full-size models).
The 1994 Acura Integra and 1999 Chevrolet pickup (full-size
models) came in sixth and seventh place, respectively. Ford's 2002
Explorer rolled in at number nine, while Nissan's 1994 Santra
earned the 10th spot.
Aside from the aforementioned Chevrolet pickup, General Motors
(NYSE:
GM
) managed to sidestep the national top 10. Frank Scafidi, a
spokesman for the National Insurance Crime Bureau, told
Bloomberg
that GM's OnStar technology has helped reduce car thefts.
On a state-by-state basis, full-size GMC and Chevrolet pickups
were popular among thieves in Arkansas, Idaho, Maine, Mississippi,
Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Texas, among
other states.
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