Kia Boys: Car Theft, TikTok, and City Lawsuits

A viral trend has turned a design shortcut into a nationwide crime wave. Videos posted by the so-called “Kia Boys” show just how easily certain Kia and Hyundai models can be stolen, and the results have been felt on city streets from Chicago to New York. In this episode, we examine how the absence of a basic, low-cost immobilizer—standard in many other countries—helped fuel a surge in car thefts, prompting major cities to sue the manufacturers for selling what they claim are defective vehicles. Beyond the courtroom, the story raises larger questions about corporate responsibility, social media–driven crime, and how a small engineering decision can ripple outward, reshaping patterns of youth offending and reversing decades of progress in car security.https://www.economist.com/cities-are-suing-car-manufacturers-over-auto-theft-they-have-a-case