In recent news, it has been noticed that Land Rover Range Rover cars are being stolen at a very high number, but not in India, this is happening in Britain. This surely makes us think quite a bit about how a car that has so much in terms of its safety, is too easy to steal. Well, this is what today, we are going to rectify, so without wasting even a bit, let us get into the matter of Why Thieves of Britain are going after Land Rover cars. 

The case of car stealing is usually everywhere, as they are something that can be stolen easily. Especially, the cars that lack the modern, much-needed tech in them to prevent such mishaps. It is also evident, that such cars can be stolen, which lack modern safety tech. But, we shall accept that there, now, is a problem, where cars worth crores of rupees, plus, these particular cars also hold the benefit of modern tech, and unfortunately, still are being stolen.

The Statistical History of Car steals in Britain

In 2019, about 55,000 cars were reported stolen in the United Kingdom. Most of these stolen cars were, again, the Fords, Land Rovers, BMWs, etc.

Then in 2020, this number rose and went up showing 75,000 cars stolen in the United Kingdom. Most of them were, again, the Fords, Land Rovers, BMWs, etc. 

The recent data for car steals in 2022 says that the UK saw about 60,000 cars stolen this year, and the victims were the usual ones: Fords, Land Rovers, BMWs, etc.

Now, you may ask, if there are brands like Ford, BMW, and even Mercedes, whose cars are being stolen in the UK, then why are only the Land Rovers being suppressed in this situation? 

Well, the answer to this is simple - The Fords, BMWs, Mercedes, etc which are the usual victims of car stealing crime in the UK, are also the ones coming from an affordable price segment. Those Fords, Land Rovers, BMWs, etc are the ones lying in a price bracket that is approachable by a majority of the UK citizens. Thus, they happen to be sold in a large number.

Talking of the Land Rovers, these include just a total of three cars from them, which for sure lie in a much more expensive segment compared to others. The cars are Land Rover Range Rover, Land Rover Discovery and Land Rover Range Rover Sport, now, these cars are significantly more expensive compared to all others, which by the way, have all the modern safety equipment, as they are just three to four years old cars. 

We mean, you will not see a single Mercedes Maybach or Rolls Royce Cullinan in this list, but you will see a car from the same segment being stolen a lot, which is the Land Rover Range Rover. Therefore, the stealing of such expensive Range Rover cars is a problem in Britain.

How is a Car Stolen usually?

To understand the real issue, we need to first understand the core point of this issue. We have analyzed a lot of cases of car stealing and identified different ways of it’s happening.

The most usual way -

It is a simple process of car stealing, where usually some kind of hard metal stick is used for breaking the window, then unlocking it from the inside, getting in, and lastly, starting the car.

This method, though, nowadays, has gotten quite risky, as the car itself starts an alarm, when it is locked, and then is damaged by something. This alarm is very loud, and it easily alerts the surroundings. 

The ones used nowadays -

There are a total of two ways of stealing a car nowadays, the first one states that the thief observes the movements and the timings at which the car is used the most, and then strikes at the very right moment when the car might be left unlocked or the thief steals the key from the owner having him unknown about the situation. 

But, we can also say that nowadays stealing a car has reduced significantly, thanks to modern safety tech. It is impossible to steal a car with such tech involved, where the owner is alerted even if the car is moved slightly due to heavy winds.

How come Cars like Range Rovers got Stolen?

When Land Rover was questioned after this happened, they honestly addressed that the Range Rover models that were manufactured two to three years before did not have the safety technology strong enough to tackle such serious issues. 

When asked about the details, they further explained that the thieves hacked the Keyless Entry System of the Range Rovers, which enabled them to access the vehicle without any need for the particular key.

How did they Hack the Keyless Entry System?

Now, as we have heard about the rise and upgradation of the technology, every market is trying to adapt it to make their products easier. Moreover, if carmakers can use technology to increase the safety standards in their cars, then what stops the thieves from doing the same with their methods? Therefore, the thieves did the same by upgrading their technologies, and this particular car stealing method is called Signal Relaying.

How does Signal Relay work?

A keyless entry system works with the help of signal transmission. The key fob which you will have transmits a signal to the car, which then detects it, and further unlocks the car. This particular signaling process can only work if the key fob is at a particular distance from the car, which usually works if the distance between the car and the key is 5 - 20 meters. 

Now, what usually we see is that the owner parks the car at a place that is significantly away from the key fob - that the owner carries . This makes it impossible to unlock the car for any thief. But, if we analyze the case with the Range Rovers. They are mostly parked outside the house, and the key is kept inside. So, when a Transmitter and a Receiver , which is used in this Signal Relay process, it makes the stealing very easy. You just have to keep the transmitter near the particular part of the house, where the key fob is placed, and place the receiver near the car. This will make the signal extend up to the car, and hence, unlock it with no such issue.

What did Land Rover do after all this?

After all this happened, Land Rover announced that they had invested nearly ₹100 crores to update the security system of the Land Rovers sold two to three years ago. They have already started the process, as they have commenced the re-calling of all the particular vehicles that might be at such risk. 

What is the update, if you ask? Then a simple update in the BCM - Body Control Module will help to prevent the particular cars from the signal relaying process of stealing.

Do we have to worry about this in India?

Well, we cannot claim anything with full surety, as this is something that cannot be predicted. But, still, we would say that there is no need to take any kind of stress, as after all this probably, all the car makers will do the needful in their vehicles to prevent themselves from such mishap. Plus, already a lot of cars are adopting modern technology to the brim in order to keep their cars as safe as possible.