Car Thieves' Love Affair with the Camry.

• Position: Brief Article - Statistical Data Included

For the fourth straight year, imports remained the prime target of automobile theft, with the 1989 Toyota Camry stealing the top spot as the most-stolen vehicle in the U.S. in 2000. In fact, the top four most-stolen vehicles were Toyota Camrys, and rounding out the top five was the 1994 Honda Accord EX, according to the annual study of most-frequently stolen vehicles conducted by CCC Information Services Inc., Chicago.

The 1989 Camry was stolen more often than any other vehicle, followed by the 1990, 1991, and 1988 models, respectively. Following the report's four-year trend, imported automobiles were the most popular among car thieves, as 80% of the nation's 25 most-stolen vehicles were imports--specifically Hondas, Toyotas, and Acuras. The most-frequently stolen domestic vehicle was the 1994 Chevrolet C1500 4x2 pickup truck, reflecting the continued growth in the popularity of trucks over the past decade.

From coast to coast, different states reflected various trends in automobile theft:

* On the West Coast, results most closely mirrored the national results, with the Camry claiming the top five slots and imported cars representing 84% of the...