As vehicle is stolen in India every six minutes, according to the National Crime Records Bureau. To make matters worse, of every four stolen cars, only one is recovered. Not exactly a comforting thought when your brand new Maruti Swift or SX4 is parked outside. Now, you may have reason not to panic because Maruti Udyog has fitted all its cars, except the Esteem and Gypsy, with the immobiliser system, which protects your vehicle from being stolen.

The security device, called the intelligent Computerised Anti-Theft System (iCATS), works on the principle of multiplexed communication. It has a transponder—an inbuilt electronic chip inside the car key—carrying a unique identification code. The transponders are available in millions of combinations, which make the possibility of two cars having the same code impossible. The Electronic Control Unit (ECU) or the computer in the engine also carries a corresponding secret code.

The moment the key is inserted and the ignition switched on, the secret code is communicated from the key to the ECU. The engine starts only if the code is correct. If there is a mismatch in the password, the immobiliser system shuts off the engine, thereby preventing the car from being stolen.

The system has one more advantage. “Under no circumstance will the engine start with a locally fabricated key,” stresses I.V. Rao, R&D chief, Maruti Udyog.

On the flip side, if the key gets lost, the owner has to go to a dealer’s workshop to electronically delink the key.
The company-fitted security device has also increased the cost of the cars as the price of iCATS ranges from Rs 1,000 to Rs 4,300 (ex-showroom price, Delhi). And, of course, it can’t be retrofitted in old cars.

... contd.