Car thieves are putting luxury vehicles in their crosshairs

The National Insurance Crime Bureau database released a report of the top-10 most stolen luxury cars in the United States from 2009 to 2012, and Mercedes-Benz to be most in the line of fire.

Three Mercedes models made the list: the Mercedes-Benz C-class, E-class and S-class. At least the thieves have good taste. If you are the owner of a luxury car -- Mercedes-Benz, in particular -- you might want to consider upping the security ante on your vehicle.

Contrary to what many may think, the technologies in your car, such as GPS positioning, OnStar tracking and Bluetooth connectivity don't always guarantee a safe return of the vehicle. Of the 4,384 luxury vehicle thefts reported to the NICB, 713 remain missing. While there's a recovery rate of 83.7 percent, when you're spending money on a car that's equivalent to the cost of a decent two-story colonial, we're not talking simple larceny.

It's not really rocket science trying to understand why thieves target luxury vehicles: The higher the price tag the more desirable they are. According to an NICB analyst, most of these vehicle heists are done by organized professional thieves looking to dismantle the stolen cars for parts, resell them to oblivious buyers or export them to other countries.

According to the report on the NICB website, California (particularly the Los Angeles area) is the main hot spot for car thefts, with a total of 1,063 over the span of the four years. Florida takes the next spot, reporting 452 thefts, all concentrated in the Miami/Fort Lauderdale regions. Thieves also targeted the East Coast, particularly New Jersey and New York, where 453 and 404 thefts, respectively, occurred.

The Motor City comes in at the fifth spot: Coincidence? We think not. Michigan reported 230 car thefts, mostly centered in the greater Detroit area. Dallas and Fort Worth, Texas, were next on the list, coming in sixth place. The Lone Star State reported 229 vehicle thefts. Atlanta was also on the radar for these high-end bandits, documenting 141 acts of such thievery.

Illinois, Pennsylvania and Maryland round out the list, with 132, 112 and 109 thefts, respectively, reported.

Here's a list of the top-10 targeted vehicles:

Mercedes-Benz C-class: 485

BMW 3-Series: 471

Infiniti G series: 405

Mercedes-Benz E-class: 381

Cadillac CTS: 326

BMW 5-series: 256

Lincoln MKZ: 226

Acura TSX: 190

Lexus IS: 177

Mercedes-Benz S-class: 163

By Natalie Sejnost