Jaguar Land Rover puts £10m towards tackling thefts of older Range Rovers
Previous-generation Range Rovers have often been targeted by thieves
Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) has invested ‘more than £10m’ to help tackle a spate of thefts of its previous-generation Range Rovers, the firm has announced.
Previous-generation Land Rovers, including the Range Rover and Range Rover Sport, are among some of the most stolen cars in the UK, with crooks finding ways to break into keyless-equipped vehicles thanks to a flaw in their security.
Hundreds of vehicles have been stolen, with owners often resorting to physical deterrents, such as steering locks, to help tackle the problem. Due to the number of vehicles stolen, it’s left owners struggling to insure their cars too.
JLR has been aware of the issue for some time and has said that older vehicles have benefitted from an ‘investment of more than £10m’, which goes towards updating previous-generation models from 2018 onwards with the ‘latest security and technology’.
The firm says that 65,000 eligible vehicles have already been updated, but is urging owners who have not yet had the fix done to contact their local dealer.
Patrick McGillycuddy, managing director at JLR UK, said: “While vehicle theft in the UK is affecting the whole car industry, at JLR we understand the negative impact this can have on the ownership experience for our clients. Our investment of more than £10 million demonstrates our ongoing commitment to tackling this issue.
“Through our long-standing collaboration with law enforcement and key partners, our expert team will continue to develop and deploy effective anti-theft measures to ensure clients are protected. It is my personal priority.”
JLR says that its latest Range Rover and Range Rover Sport, which were both introduced in 2022, are based on a ‘more advanced electrical architecture’ that the firm says are ‘proving resilient to theft’. It says that since January 2022, 0.07 per cent of new Range Rover and Range Rover Sports on the road have been stolen.
This £10m investment is said to include updates to the ‘body control module’, which prohibits thieves driving away a vehicle without a key. The previous issue concerned thieves hacking the keyless entry system by using a method known as a ‘relay attack’ to intercept signals from the car key, which was usually kept in the owner’s address, and then being able to start the car this way. The updates are said to mean that vehicles are no longer ‘vulnerable to that method’.
Despite the updates, JLR is still recommending customers ‘use every available measure’ to protect their vehicle’, including JLR’s connected apps, which include a ‘Guardian Mode’ and making sure that keys are not kept anywhere where they can be easily taken.
