It's just the NYC treatment. Bc they are only reporting it now doesn't mean it's a new thing. It makes sense it hit NYC later bc they have less car owners.

Many major cities already filed lawsuits against Kia & Hyundai.

From Sept 2022 https://techcrunch.com/2022/09/21/kia-hyundai-sued-after-viral-tiktok-causes-rise-in-thefts/

Current list: https://www.reuters.com/legal/st-louis-sues-hyundai-kia-over-car-thefts-joining-other-us-cities-2023-03-28/