Among the many automobile spare parts subject to trafficking, one of the star products (!) is the hybrid car catalyst, and in particular that fitted to the Toyota Prius.
The reason is simple: said coin contains expensive metals, and in particular rhodium, the price of which stands at nearly €400 per gram at the end of December.
What arouse the greed of the agrefins, some of which have therefore specialized in the removal of catalyst. The operation, which consists of slipping under the car equipped with a rotary saw before cutting the exhaust line on either side of the coveted object, can be carried out in 30 seconds.
Real sectors have been created, as in Brittany where a network had been dismantled last summer. Closer to us, it was our colleague Manuel Cailliot who had suffered a mishap of this type on his own Prius 2model whose catalyst is invoiced around €2,500 by the Toyota network!
The phenomenon is global, which prompted Toyota to offer an optional anti-theft shield to customers of the new prius in the USA.
The part, an aluminum and steel plate, is invoiced at 140 dollars excluding installation, an investment that seems judicious. She may not withstand the onslaught of a highly motivated thief, but her slowing him down will likely lead him to try his luck elsewhere.
It is currently unknown if Toyota Europe plans to offer such a part on the Prius or other models, but it would certainly be a very good idea.