Progressives Blame Hyundai and Kia for Rash of Car Thefts

The Left’s list of “root causes” of crime — blaming anyone but the criminal — has just gotten longer: Certain automobile manufacturers have allegedly made their cars too easy to steal. Over the course of this year, the cities of Baltimore, Chicago, Cleveland, Columbus, New York, Seattle, and St. Louis have each sued Hyundai Motor America Inc., which manufactures both Hyundai and Kia automobiles, on the grounds that its cars are particularly simple for people other than their owners to start and drive off with.

In a piece published Friday, New York Times opinion columnist Farhad Manjoo explains the technological negligence that allows Hyundai and Kia cars to be such ready targets for car thieves:

About the Author

Zach Kessel

Zach Kessel was a William F. Buckley Jr. Fellow in Political Journalism and a recent graduate of Northwestern University.

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The Left’s list of “root causes” of crime — blaming anyone but the criminal — has just gotten longer: Certain automobile manufacturers have allegedly made their cars too easy to steal. Over the course of this year, the cities of Baltimore, Chicago, Cleveland, Columbus, New York, Seattle, and St. Louis have each sued Hyundai Motor America Inc., which manufactures both Hyundai and Kia automobiles, on the grounds that its cars are particularly simple for people other than their owners to start and drive off with.

In a piece published Friday, New York Times opinion columnist Farhad Manjoo explains the technological negligence that allows Hyundai and Kia cars to be such ready targets for car thieves: