Toyota beefs up anti-theft security

The Toyota Fortuner and Hilux have been in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons lately, with reports that they make hot targets for vehicle thieves.

Car crooks interviewed by The Star last week said the Fortuner was at the top of their hit list, while another article claimed the Hilux and Fortuner were so high-risk that their owners were encouraged to use specific parking sections at Gautrain stations so that parking attendants could keep a special eye on their vehicles.

In a bid to thwart the thieves Toyota South Africa has, in conjunction with the police, developed a new anti-theft system.

Toyota spokesperson Leo Kok explained: “The Hilux and Fortuner both comply tfull with all local and international safety and security standards; nevertheless, our decision to develop an additional security device follows close interaction with the police and SAIA (the insurance industry body) after they informed us of ways in which criminals break into vehicles and try to circumvent our security systems.”

NEW SYSTEMS CAN BE RETROFITTED

The new security additions consists of several mechanical and electronic changes (obviously we can’t give you the details) that counter the process developed by criminals, and are a standard fitment to all new Hilux and Fortuner models. Owners of older Hilux and Fortuner models can retrofit these additions at a cost of about R1000 depending on the dealer.

Kok said information provided by the SAPS indicated that these additions were successful in preventing this way of stealing a vehicle.

Though it’s been proactive in upgrading the anti-theft features, Toyota SA points out that the relatively high number of stolen Hiluxes and Fortuners is a factor of their high market shares in their respective segments. Vehicles that sell in high numbers have a statistically higher likelihood of being stolen.

“If one assumes a theft rate of five percent for all popular vehicles the outright number for Hilux would be close to 200 units, compared to 50 units for the major competitor and even less for other pick-ups.

“This often leads to misunderstood statistics, especially because our feedback from SAPS indicates that our actions are preventing this method of theft.”