A report from the General Insurance Association of Malaysia (PIAM) reveals that the Proton Wira is still the top choice for car thieves in 2014 and 2015. At the same time, the increasing number of car thefts in this country puts Malaysia at rank six in the world for vehicle thefts!
An average of 60 cars are stolen per day across the country, with 4,472 cars were reported to be stolen from January to June 2016. A total of 11,796 vehicles were lost to thieves during the same duration as well. PIAM confirmed this year saw a drop of 5 percent as compared to last year.
With Proton Wira getting the most attention among car thieves, the Toyota Hilux became the second highest car to be stolen. This follows by two cars no longer sold in Malaysia, namely Proton Iswara, Proton Waja and Perodua Kancil. The Perodua Myvi was listed as the sixth most stolen car in both 2014 and 2015, followed by the Proton Saga in seventh. The old three-door favourite, the Proton Satria,is in eighth place.
As you can see, older cars are highly targeted by thieves due to their low-tech security which makes them easier to steal. The Proton Wira is based on a Mitsubishi model of the early 90s, and requires less sophisticated tools to steal as compared to say, a modern BMW. After all, thieves are motivated by supply and demand and as long these cars remain on our roads, the demand for spare parts will also be there.
In the end, always be vigilant with your cars even if it’s a beat-up Proton, and be sure to invest in a decent anti-theft device.
[Source: The Star]
