The US city stated the automakers failed to install anti-theft devices called immobilisers on most of their cars for over ten years - between 2011 and 2022 - making their vehicles more likely to be stolen.
New York has joined several other major cities that have sued Hyundai and Kia over the thefts, including Baltimore, Cleveland, Milwaukee, San Diego and Seattle.
The lawsuits have been prompted by the rise in popularity of a TikTok challenge in 2021 that prompted teens to steal vehicles off the street by hot wiring them using a USB cable. The prompt resulted in an 800 per cent rise in year-on-year car thefts in the city of Chicago, and an 85 per cent increase in these crimes in Los Angeles, according to CNBC.
In New York, officials referred to a "virtual explosion of thefts" of cars, saying reported stolen Hyundais and Kias doubled last year, and reached 977 reported thefts in the first four months of 2023, up from 148 in the same period...