Japan Non-Life Insurance Association Vehicle Theft Statistics: 2,597 Cases Last Year
Toyota Sweeps 9 of Top 10 Including Land Cruiser
Mercedes-Benz Ties for 9th... Most Thefts Occur Late at Night
In Japan, over 2,500 vehicles were stolen last year, with Toyota models, a Japanese automaker, occupying the top ranks of stolen vehicles. Imported cars popular domestically, such as Mercedes-Benz, ranked lower.
According to the "Automobile Theft Accident Survey" recently published by the General Insurance Association of Japan on the 15th, 2,597 vehicles were stolen last year. This is a slight decrease compared to 2,656 vehicles the previous year, but still, over 2,000 vehicles are stolen annually. The number one stolen vehicle was Toyota's large four-wheel-drive SUV, the Land Cruiser, with 383 units stolen, accounting for 14.7% of the total.
The Land Cruiser has been in production since 1951 and is Toyota's longest-running model name. In Japan, it is affectionately called "Rankuru" (ランクル) for short, with prices ranging from 70 million to 100 million yen. The second most stolen vehicle was Toyota's van, the Alphard, with 364 units, accounting for 14.0% of the total. Third was Toyota's Prius (307 units), fourth was the Lexus LX (120 units), and fifth was Toyota's cargo van, the Hiace (60 units). The Toyota Crown (53 units), Toyota Vellfire (43 units), and Lexus RX (42 units) ranked sixth to eighth. The Toyota Harrier and German Mercedes-Benz tied for ninth place with 37 units each.
The top 10 models combined accounted for 1,446 units, representing 55.7% of the total. Notably, nine of the top 10 models were Toyota or Lexus, indicating that Japanese car thieves have a particular "attachment" to domestic vehicles, especially Toyota. The time frame when thefts occurred was mostly late night to morning (10 PM to 9 AM), accounting for 58.4%.
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