A 1995 Saturn Tops Most Stolen List

By Mark E. Ruquet

NU Online News Service, May 25, 4:22 p.m. EDT?Even though car thieves have made the 1995 Saturn SL their favorite theft target, insurers won't penalize owners of that model, according to industry representatives.[@@]

The finding that the 1995 Saturn SL was the most stolen automobile last year came in a report released yesterday by Chicago-based CCC Information Services Inc.

Michelle Hellyar, a spokeswoman for CCC, said the figures are meant for consumer interest and are not intended for insurer use.

She said CCC, which provides communication services to the automotive claims and collision repair industry, has not received information from the 350 insurance companies it deals with indicating that the analysis affects automobile insurance premiums. This is the 10^th year the report has been produced, she said.

Rey Becker, vice president of personal lines for the Property Casualty Insurers Association of America, based in Des Plaines, Ill., said one report would probably not affect automobile comprehensive rates. Insurers, he said, use a variety of data, including their own internal information, and no one single source would impact underwriting.

In second place among cars most frequently stolen was the 1998 Acura Integra, followed by the 1994 Saturn SL and the 1999 Acura Integra.

The figures are based on total loss claims data (vehicles stolen and not recovered) CCC receives from more than 350 property-casualty insurers in North America, the group said. It compares the stolen vehicle data against vehicle registrations volume information provided by R.L. Polk & Co. to determine the rate of theft as a percentage of registered vehicles. The figures do not include vehicles stolen for joy rides.

Only four American brand cars were on the list. Besides the Saturn, the 1996 Chevrolet Tahoe was ranked 19 and the 1997 Chevrolet Tahoe was ranked 21.

The Acura Integra made the list six times, making it the most stolen model, and the Honda Civic five times.

The frequency of occurrence may have to do with the value of parts, said Mary Jo Prigge, CCC's president of sales and service, in a statement, noting that some manufacturers continue to use the same part-type from year to year.

Among some of CCC's other findings were:

? 1997 model vehicles were the most susceptible to theft, followed by 1996, 1995, 1994 and 1998.

? The average age of stolen vehicle was 6.64 years, while the average age of registered vehicles was slightly more than 9 years.

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A 1995 Saturn Tops Most Stolen List

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