Car theft straight from the factory and even dealerships is a big problem in Detroit, but Stellantis has found a way to fight back. The solution is beautiful in its simplicity. Stellantis simply strengthened the fence around its Jefferson North Assembly Plant by adding a cable. Imagine the clothesline move in pro wrestling, and you get the idea.
The system worked beautifully, even though the thieves used a Dodge Durango SRT to ram the fence. The go-faster Durango is one of the fattest cars in its segments, weighing 5,378 pounds. Even so, the fence gave the thieves a resounding "nope" and kept them from escaping with the cars. As you can see in the video from local news network Click On Detroit below, only one car attempted to escape, while the other vehicle suffered minor damage to the front.
The incident was first reported at 4:30 am. An eyewitness spoke with Click on Detroit, saying she saw the two cars on the way to drop her son off at work.
Despite their efforts being stymied, the thieves were not apprehended and will likely try again. Now that the Jefferson North Assembly Plant is no longer a viable target, they'll probably move on to another factory. The police confirmed that it remains an open investigation. As we mentioned earlier, this is a huge problem in Detroit, and Ford has also been hit.
Click on Detroit reached out to Stellantis to find out how many cars have been stolen this year, but it did not want to share those figures.
The rumor mill suggests that the damage has run into millions. Early this year, thieves got into Stellantis' Sterling Heights Assembly Plant and got away with four trucks, including a Ram TRX. More recently, 30 armed men stormed a Genesee County dealership in broad daylight and got away with 13 cars.
The Michigan State Police has previously stated that this appears to be a gang-related form of organized crime. The thefts are too well organized, and the miscreants know precisely which cars are high-value targets.
However, some amateurs are getting involved, probably inspired by their more organized compatriots. Earlier this year, two car thieves stole two Chevrolet Camaros from GM's Lansing plant and crashed them almost immediately. One thief didn't even make it out of the parking lot.