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70% of premium brand cars stolen are taken with the car’s own keys

High-end SUVs – like the new Range Rover (pictured) are a prime target for car key thieves There was once a time when all it took to steal a car was a wire coathanger and the ability to hotwire the ignition. But as car makers have got better at securing the second most expensive asset most of us will ever own, car thieves have had to look for a different approach, and that approach is increasingly to relieve owners of the keys to their pride and joy. Cobra – the vehicle tracking firm – are reporting that a massive 70 per cent of all premium brand cars stolen in 2014 – with an average value of £40k, up £6k on 2012 – are being parted from their owners using that owners keys.

IndyCar Hot Wheels race into stores

IndyCar-themed Hot Wheels will be hitting stores this month. The Indy Racing League and Mattel Inc., the maker of Hot Wheels, have agreed on a four-year deal that will produce a lineup of toy cars featuring teams and drivers. A 1:64-scale Hot Wheel is $4.99, with a 1:24 version that costs $24.99.

Secrets of bidders: Is this your year to steal a car at the Arizona auctions?

Each January, enthusiasts flock to Arizona for the most exciting events on the auction calendar. Seven companies--Barrett-Jackson, RM Auctions, Gooding & Co., Russo and Steele, Kruse International, ICA Auctions and Silver Auctions--will duke it out, with more than 3,000 collector cars on the block. But with real estate tanking, the economy in a tailspin, consumer confidence at an all-time low, retail car sales bottoming and automakers begging for loans in Washing-ton, is this any time to buy an old car at auction?