Cadillac Escalade, the sleek, bold and luxurious sport-utility vehicle which is famed by some Hollywood's personalities, did not only attract celebrities but the elusive thieves as well. Escalade has been a hot item in the news for several years now because of its record in theft losses. So far, the hype is retained.



To circumvent this fact, Escalade owners see to it that their cars are insured. To date, Escalade has the highest rate of insurance theft claims for 4 consecutive years including this year. This datum was released by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Divulged in the study were the top three vehicle models that are often subject to thievery. Escalade bags the highest rank. It was followed by Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution and the Dodge Ram 1500 quad cab pickup.

In the data given by Highway Loss Data Institute, an affiliate of the insurance institute, Escalade offers plenty of eye candy parts Cadillac to tempt thieves, from chromed wheels and leather seats to rear-seat DVD systems. Not to mention a marketing campaign that links the Escalade to the hip and trendy.

According to Kim Hazelbaker, senior vice president of the Highway Loss Data Institute, "This is the car that Tony Soprano drives. It's seen in a lot of rap videos. There are a lot of NFL players who are photographed in it. It's part of our pop culture as a very large, flashy SUV."

The overall results show the Escalade has not only the highest rate of claims but also very expensive claims when they are filed. In fact, almost one-quarter of theft claims for the Escalade are for $40,000 or more, indicating that thieves often are stealing the whole vehicles and not just their parts," Hazelbaker, further added.

This is the fourth year of Escalade's record. In fact, 4 models of Escalade top the list of the worst overall insurance losses for theft among all passenger vehicles.

On the part of the automaker, engineers are making sure that electronic ignition system of the car will not start unless the proper key is used. This is done to lessen the percentage of thievery.