After Brazil, thieves from England are stealing Volkswagen emblems to resell hidden component

Brazil seems to have served as an involuntary laboratory for a type of theft that is now spreading abroad: after the wave recorded here at the end of 2023, when bandits discovered that the Volkswagen front logo of Nivus and T-Cross hid a radar worth thousands of reais, criminals in the United Kingdom came to the same conclusion: Tearing off the part in five seconds can be a lucrative business.

The Metropolitan Police of the English capital is now investigating about 70 cases registered between July 15 and 19 on 29 streets in southeast London. As in Brazil, on many of the brand’s models in the United Kingdom, the emblem is not adornment: it works as a window for the front radar that powers adaptive cruise control (ACC) and automatic emergency braking (AEB). Since the sensor waves do not pass through metal grids, the module was behind the logo.

Security camera footage circulating in the local press shows two men on rental bikes removing the piece in less than five seconds. One of the victims, a Tiguan owner, told The Times that the damage was close to £2,000. Residents suspect the use of drones to map targets, a hypothesis not confirmed by the police.

The Brazilian precedent

In Brazil, the main victim was the Nivus, which had ACC as standard since its launch in 2020. T-Cross, Taos and Virtus were also targeted. The complaints at the end of 2023 pointed to a loss close to R$ 12 thousand: about R$ 1,600 for the emblem, R$ 9,000 for the radar, R$ 700 for electrical labor and R$ 250 for recalibration. On the parallel market, the piece went for between R$ 300 and R$ 600.

Volkswagen’s first reaction was to classify the case as a matter of public safety, and not as a product defect. The automaker also advised against sticking the emblem, a homemade solution that went viral on the networks, arguing that the reinforcement could harm the ACC. The tone changed in early 2024: according to the Brazilian Association of Volkswagen Distributors (Assobrav), the module now costs R$ 1.181 and the emblem, R$ 197, drops of 92% and 90%, that disinhibited parallel resale.

Screws, locks and the Audi example

The design answer came in the 2025 T-Cross line: the radar started to be screwed, instead of just fitted, the emblem locks were reinforced to break the part in case of forced removal and access to the set was restricted to the inside of the car. The restyled Nivus received an anti-theft device, the details of which the brand preferred not to reveal. Audi had adopted another route: it started to give the lower front grille of A3, A4 and Q3 for free to stolen customers, emptying the clandestine trade.

The automaker claims that the latest models position the radar away from the emblem. For those who have previous generations of Golf, Tiguan, Jetta, Passat, T-Roc, ID.4 and ID.5, the routine in London now includes a check: look at the grid before starting.