Cadillac improves the Escalade against theft

While in Europe getting hold of the largest SUV from General Motors’ luxury brand is quite difficult, and seeing one on the street is even rarer, in its home country it has been one of the most popular models in its segment since 1999. It is also popular with thieves, as it is one of the off-roaders of choice for crooks in the United States. Although that only adds to its notoriety, it is not the kind of notoriety Cadillac wants, logically.

That is why it has announced a series of updates to its security, in an attempt to make life much harder for criminals in their quest to deprive artists and executives of their emblematic means of transport. It has also left virtually no form of “borrowing” an Escalade uncovered. Because when the OnStar nanny is not enough, what is needed is…

First, a new and more advanced encryption system for both the car keys and the ignition system. Second, a much louder audible alarm in case of a broken window, to warn of possible theft of items from the interior or simply of the vehicle being driven away. If the thief still insists on finishing the job, the steering column has a more rigid lock to prevent any movement of the steering wheel.

This last system is aimed especially at the type of theft in which the car is loaded onto the rear of a truck. To complement it, the Escalade will also have another alarm that is triggered if it detects even a slight change in inclination with respect to the ground it was on last time. Finally, the wheel and rim locks have been reinforced to prevent the vulnerable SUV from being “de-wheeled”.

Nevertheless, the OnStar telematics system that GM installs in its North American products already disabled remote starting if it detected intrusion into the vehicle, reported its location and reduced its top speed to help the police in a chase. Will thieves now turn to stealing GMC Yukon Denali, or will they perfect their technique “for the love of the art”?

Via | Worldcarfans