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A one-person protest would, under normal circumstances, hardly cause a ripple. But a one-person protest in the right place (read: country), at the right moment (read: event), and with the right type of exposure can make a world of a difference.
The other day, as the 2021 edition of Auto Shanghai was underway, a female owner of a 2020 Tesla Model 3 got on top of a Model 3 at Tesla’s booth and staged a protest. The woman, Mrs. Zhang, is a known Tesla protester; it emerged right as soon videos of her latest protest went viral worldwide.
Earlier this year, her father was driving her car, and it slammed into a vehicle in front, injuring two people. Since then, she’s been protesting against Tesla’s faulty brakes, saying she wants the car returned, a full refund, and compensation for lost wages. Tesla, meanwhile, has said that there was no issue with the brakes on the car, that the accident was caused by speeding and human error. Still, it repeatedly offered to meet with Mrs. Zhang to come to some understanding, an offer she refused each time.
So, she took her grievances to the auto event. Wearing a T-shirt reading “Invisible killer” and “Brakes don’t work,” she ranted against Tesla, Tesla’s poor build quality, and Tesla’s even worse customer service. She was arrested and will spend a total of five days in prison—and will probably have to pay for the damage she caused to the car she stood up on.
Still, with her protest going viral, at least two government agencies took notice and threatened investigations into Tesla, which prompted the carmaker to issue an apology swiftly. Agreeing that it should have “dealt with the customer’s complaint in a more timely manner,” Tesla also said it would work on solutions to solve this particular issue and to prevent others like it in the future, AutoNews reports. The focus would be on customer care. That said, Tesla vouched “never [to] compromise against unreasonable demands.”
Tesla gets 30% of sales from China, and it faces serious and ever-growing competition in this market. It makes sense for it to allow itself to be pressured into an apology.
Earlier this year, her father was driving her car, and it slammed into a vehicle in front, injuring two people. Since then, she’s been protesting against Tesla’s faulty brakes, saying she wants the car returned, a full refund, and compensation for lost wages. Tesla, meanwhile, has said that there was no issue with the brakes on the car, that the accident was caused by speeding and human error. Still, it repeatedly offered to meet with Mrs. Zhang to come to some understanding, an offer she refused each time.
So, she took her grievances to the auto event. Wearing a T-shirt reading “Invisible killer” and “Brakes don’t work,” she ranted against Tesla, Tesla’s poor build quality, and Tesla’s even worse customer service. She was arrested and will spend a total of five days in prison—and will probably have to pay for the damage she caused to the car she stood up on.
Still, with her protest going viral, at least two government agencies took notice and threatened investigations into Tesla, which prompted the carmaker to issue an apology swiftly. Agreeing that it should have “dealt with the customer’s complaint in a more timely manner,” Tesla also said it would work on solutions to solve this particular issue and to prevent others like it in the future, AutoNews reports. The focus would be on customer care. That said, Tesla vouched “never [to] compromise against unreasonable demands.”
Tesla gets 30% of sales from China, and it faces serious and ever-growing competition in this market. It makes sense for it to allow itself to be pressured into an apology.
A female Tesla owner climbed on top of a car’s roof at the Tesla booth to protest her car’s brake malfunction at the Shanghai auto show Monday. The booth beefed up its security after the incident. pic.twitter.com/ct7RmF1agM
— Global Times (@globaltimesnews) April 19, 2021
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