AUSTIN (KXAN) – Starting Friday at the Burger Sports Complex in Austin, Hyundai is installing free software to prevent car theft.
“A software solution to prevent the kind of theft that was popularized on TikTok,” said Dave VandeLinde, vice president of Hyundai Motors. Hyundai will also provide a sticker, pictured below, stating that the software has been installed.
The event will be held on Friday and Saturday from 8 am to 6 pm and on Sunday from 8 am to 2 pm in the center’s parking lot located across from US Highway 290.
VadeLinde said it should take about 30 minutes per person, and drivers will wait in a lounge with couches and refreshments.
The Austin Police Department (APD) said Hyundai and Kia make up 9% of all registered vehicles in Travis County, but account for 35% of stolen vehicles in Austin.
“We also recognize that the increase in vehicle thefts is putting a strain on communities and police departments,” VadeLinde said.
A KXAN investigation found that the Austin airport parking lots and Barton Creek Square Mall had the most carjackings in 2022 and 2023. The report also found that during that time frame, only 8% of cases resulted in an arrest.
Kia also has anti-theft software that it offers to drivers for free.
According to the US Department of Transportation, the company began rolling out the software in phases last month. This week’s event in Austin is exclusively for Hyundais, but Kia has launched similar clinics in other cities.
According to VandeLinde, Hyundai and Kia are owned by the same parent company in South Korea, but operate as competitors due to antitrust laws in the US.