Where can I get anti-theft software for a Hyundai in Austin?
Starting Friday at the Burger Sports Complex in Austin, Hyundai is installing free software to prevent car thefts.
AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Starting Friday at the Burger Sports Complex in Austin, Hyundai is installing free software to prevent car thefts.
"A software solution to prevent that type of theft that was popularized on TikTok," Dave VandeLinde, vice president of Hyundai Motors, said. Hyundai will also provide a sticker, pictured below, stating that the software has been installed.
The event will run on Friday and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and on Sunday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the center's parking lot that faces U.S. Highway 290.
VadeLinde said it should take about 30 minutes per person, and there will be a lounge with couches and refreshments for drivers to wait.
The Austin Police Department (APD) said Hyundais and Kias make up 9% of all registered vehicles in Travis County, but account for 35% of stolen vehicles in Austin.
"We also realize the increase in vehicle theft strains the communities and police departments alike," VadeLinde said.
A KXAN investigation revealed the Austin airport parking lots and Barton Creek Square Mall saw the most auto theft cases over the course of 2022 and 2023. The report also found, during that time frame, only 8% of cases resulted in an arrest.
Kia also has theft-deterrent software the company is providing to drivers free of charge.
According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, the company started rolling the software out in a phased approach last month. Austin's event this week is solely for Hyundais, but Kia has run similar clinics in other cities.
According to VandeLinde, Hyundai and Kia are owned by the same parent company in South Korea, but because of antitrust laws in the U.S., they function as competitors.