Winning the Future: Car Thieves Prefer Domestic Makes for First Time Since 2002

Nationally--and for the first time since 2002--thieves preferred domestic makes over foreign brands. Ford took three spots, Dodge two and Chevrolet held one while the remaining four were held by Honda, Toyota and Acura.

Woot woot! When the thieves stop drooling over them slick Japanese cats and start opting for some down-home hunks of beast-metal, that's when you know: America may really be ready to win the future.

"Now it's our turn," Obama said in his 2011 State of the Union address. "We know what it takes to compete for the jobs and industries of our time. We need to out-innovate, out-educate, and out-build the rest of the world. We have to make America the best place on Earth to do business. ... That's how our people will prosper. That's how we'll win the future."

Whether grand theft auto can be considered "doing business" is debatable, but car thieves clearly agree: America makes 'em finest!

Only reason to maybe not be so proud: The NICB identifies "improved technology" as the reason car thefts have been declining in the U.S., overall. So the ones that are still getting stolen... may just have crappier technology. (Dammit.)

Here are the top 10 most popular targets of grand theft auto last year, both in the country and California specifically:

U.S.

1. 1994 Honda Accord
2. 1995 Honda Civic
3. 1991 Toyota Camry
4. 1999 Chevrolet Pickup (Full Size)
5. 1997 Ford F150 Series/Pickup
6. 2004 Dodge Ram
7. 2000 Dodge Caravan
8. 1994 Acura Integra
9. 2002 Ford Explorer
10. 1999 Ford Taurus

California

1. 1991 Honda Accord
2. 1995 Honda Civic
3. 1989 Toyota Camry
4. 1994 Acura Integra
5. 1994 Nissan Sentra
6. 2003 Toyota Corolla
7. 1999 Chevrolet Pickup (Full Size)
8. 1997 Nissan Altima
9. 1995 Saturn SI
10. 1988 Toyota Pickup 4x2=

Hm. Looks like the Golden State has yet to hop on the victorious bandwagon of the future. Why can't our car thieves be more like the patriotic car thieves down South?

[@simone_electra/swilson@laweekly.com]