Hong Kong Car Thieves Indulge Expensive Tastes

When Walther Nahr, a member of the Hong Kong Automobile Association, got the bad news, he was anything but shocked. "It was no surprise at all," he recalls. "I was waiting for mine to be the next." For Hong Kong car owners, their insurers and local police, heavy traffic between t...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published inThe Wall Street journal Asia
Main Author By Hongmin Qi
Format Newspaper Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Victoria, Hong Kong Dow Jones & Company Inc 10.07.1992
Subjects
Automobile dealers
Automobile theft
Luxury automobiles
Online AccessGet full text

Cover

More Information
Summary:When Walther Nahr, a member of the Hong Kong Automobile Association, got the bad news, he was anything but shocked. "It was no surprise at all," he recalls. "I was waiting for mine to be the next." For Hong Kong car owners, their insurers and local police, heavy traffic between the colony and China in stolen cars is a cause for headaches. For car dealers handling such hot makes as Mercedes-Benzes, BMWs and Toyota's Crown and Lexus models, it means steady business. Luxury cars, it seems, remain the wheels of choice among thieves and legitimate buyers alike. Last year, a record 1,620 cars were reported stolen in Hong Kong, up slightly from the previous year's record. The number is racing toward another high this year: In the first five months, 182 Mercedes-Benzes were reported stolen, nearly the total for all of 1991. One night recently, three Mercedes-Benzes, three Toyota Crowns and two BMWs were separated from their owners.
ISSN:0377-9920