The scale of the Kia and Hyundai theft problem is astounding. In Chicago, during
the “old normal” days prior to the summer of 2022, six to eight percent of all
stolen cars were Kias or Hyundais, according to data obtained by Motherboard.
This was in line with how many Kias and Hyundais were on Chicago’s roads,
according to the lawsuit Chicago filed against Kia and Hyundai. Then, in June
2022, the percentage of stolen cars that were Kias and Hyundais edged up to 11
percent. In July, it more than doubled to 25 percent. By November, it had almost
doubled again, to 48 percent. Through August 2023, the most recent month for
which Motherboard has data, 35 percent of the 19,448 stolen cars in Chicago have
been Kias or Hyundais.