(St. Paul, MN)--Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison has launched a civil investigation into the sale of Kia and Hyundai vehicles that are more likely to be stolen in Minnesota.  Ellison says that the investigation aims to determine whether the manufacturers violated state consumer protection and public nuisance laws by knowingly selling Minnesotans vehicles that didn't have industry-standard anti-theft technology.

His office says that Minnesota has seen a drastic increase in Kia and Hyundai vehicle thefts, which Ellison says threatens the public safety. Reported thefts of vehicles made by the two manufacturers has jumped 836-percent in Minneapolis.