In the three minutes it takes you to read this article, about six cars will be stolen in the U.S. From 2019–2022, motor-vehicle thefts rose by 25%. But in the Memphis TN-MS-AR metropolitan area especially, auto thefts are putting the city on the national stage and continue to shatter city records year after year. year after year.
A 2024 report found that the Memphis, TN-MS-AR metropolitan area ranked fourth in the nation for vehicle thefts per 100,000 people in 2022. Memphis Police reported 12,555 motor vehicle thefts in 2023, up from nearly 10,000 in 2022. Meanwhile, Tennessee ranked tenth among states, with 337.95 thefts per 100,000 residents.
In Memphis in 2022, Hyundais and Kias made up nearly 40% of all thefts, and another 25% of most stolen cars consisted of Infinitis and Nissans. The remaining thefts include Dodges, Chevrolets, Fords, General Motors, Hondas and Toyotas from a range of years.
With so many different years, makes and models among the most stolen cars, what’s the pattern? On one hand, older vehicles lack modern anti-theft technologies. On the other, thieves have learned to take advantage of vulnerabilities in some newer models, such as by hacking a car’s system through its headlights or stealing keyless entry codes by using transponders.
If your car dealership is within this Memphis metropolitan area car theft hotspot, protecting your assets with GPS tracking devices is a necessity. These devices are the surest way to guard against theft and quickly recover assets if they are stolen.
Fewer than 1 in 10 cases of car theft in Memphis are ever solved. Stolen vehicles are often stripped of license plates, handed off to others, taken apart at chop shops or used in another crime within days of the theft—meaning time is of the essence when tracking down a stolen vehicle.
Vehicle theft could take a big bite out of your profitability. To reduce risks to the continued financial health of your business, you’ll need to protect each and every one of your assets. This is true for any type of dealer, whether you’re a franchise dealer, Buy Here Pay Here dealer, or a finance company.
A key solution to help reduce asset loss is GPS-based auto-theft tracking devices. These devices allow you to quickly locate missing assets in real time and make recovery quick and easy while minimizing costs. With the right anti-theft GPS vehicle tracker, you can give yourself peace of mind and enhance your financial position in several ways:
Are you on a tight budget? Affordability might be your main consideration when it comes to anti-theft vehicle tracking. Are you the frequent target of thieves? Then you’ll want a more complete anti-theft vehicle tracker to prevent theft in the first place. And if you need both protection/recovery and payment collections, you’ll want an auto-theft tracking device that takes care of both needs.
As you decide on which auto-theft tracking device fits your needs and budget, here are some other things to take into consideration.
The most affordable option is going to be a battery-powered auto-theft tracking device. Because it doesn’t require wiring into the vehicle’s systems, it can be installed almost anywhere by anyone in a matter of seconds. Your battery-powered GPS recovery device should come with a 5-year battery life with solid cold-weather performance.
In addition, look for the following features in a GPS recovery device:
Preventing theft has to be approached from different angles. Be sure your anti-theft vehicle tracking device can notify you in real time as would-be thieves attempt to steal your vehicle. Look for an anti-theft vehicle tracker with features like built-in starter-interrupt functionality and tamper and tow detection.
Resolve two major pain points with one device. If you’re looking for more convenient payments, find an auto-theft tracking device that both protects your assets against theft and provides scheduled and on-demand payment-collection technology.
PassTime has led the development of quality and innovative anti-theft vehicle tracking and GPS recovery devices for more than a quarter century. Our superior 24/7 support and over 99% device reliability ensures that we’ll be there when you need our support. Our devices can even help your customers combat theft after they leave the lot.
Whether you fall victim to theft or fraud, PassTime’s devices can help track and recover your assets fast. In 2023, we helped a Houston-based dealer recover six vehicles within hours. We worked with the dealer and local law enforcement to quickly locate and recover all stolen assets.
Our auto-theft tracking devices come in multiple designs for different needs and budgets.
InTouch: Combined anti-theft vehicle tracking and lot management
Install your device in multiple locations without breaking the bank. Optional anti-theft features include:
Built-in geofencing to monitor up to 50 geofence boundaries at a time
Need a more customized solution? Select GPS auto-theft vehicle tracking and GPS recovery device gives you versatility and control over your assets and vehicle communications with one single solution.
Simply and easily enhance your anti-theft vehicle-tracking efforts with Select GPS—and upgrade to advanced features whenever you’re ready.
Elite: Protect your profitability with advanced anti-theft vehicle tracking
Want anti-theft functionality with location history data, a remote vehicle-disable option and tow-detect and tamper notifications all in one? Elite offers theft protection, reduced financing risk and increased overall portfolio profitability.
Elite delivers this comprehensive solution in many ways. You’ll improve customer communication to increase on-time and bridge payments while lowering delinquencies. You can save time and money by targeting unresponsive and late customers while lowering the risk of financing to new customers. You can also reduce repossession costs with accurate location tracking. These capabilities come together to help you drive performance and profitability.
Dealerships and finance companies in the Memphis TN-MS-AR metropolitan area won’t want to miss out on working with PassTime to safeguard peace of mind and profitability. Protect your assets with PassTime’s suite of anti-theft vehicle-tracking solutions. Get in touch or request a custom quote to find the right solution for your needs and budget.
