Photo: Yu Xinquan
Have you ever been so mad with Tesla Motors that you smashed the windshield of your brand spanking new Tesla Model S with a wrench? We didn't and maybe you didn't either, but Yu Xinquan did just that out of sheer frustration with the American electric vehicle manufacturer's dubious practices in China.
"It's a protest against the company," declared Mr. Yu in an interview for the local media. "Tesla's arrogance made me angry." concluded the e-commerce entrepreneur from the Inner Mongolia region of China. So what exactly made Mr. Yu go bananas and damage his electric luxury sedan?
Well, Tesla Motors began deliveries of the Model S in China on April 21st, but limited availability only to Beijing and Shanghai customers because the two cities offer EV buyers with various incentives that cut the sticker price of eco-friendly vehicles substantially. As a result, Tesla capitalized on this limited governmental opening and maxed its initial sales volume in the Asian country because… profit, you've guessed it. But by concentrating its delivery efforts only in the previously mentioned cities, the rest of the country was left out, more or less.
That's why lots of anxious customers from other Chinese regions felt like they were cheated by Tesla, even though they already deposited big bucks to be among the first people to own the Model S in China. In Yu's case, his car was delivered after an additional delay involving a paperwork discrepancy. Thus, minutes after he took delivery of his Model S, Yu took out a wrench and started hitting the vehicle's windshield in protest for this rude practice from Tesla.
We kind of understand the guy considering he shelled out a downpayment of 250,000 yuans ($40,178) from as far back as October 2013. But we kind of sympathize with the damaged car as well. From the looks of it, only the windshield and the bonnet need replacement, so that's about $10,000 worth of repairs on top of the $173k fully kitted Testa Model S. Due to freight costs and import duties, Chinese customers pay way more for a Model S than U.S. buyers.
Well, Tesla Motors began deliveries of the Model S in China on April 21st, but limited availability only to Beijing and Shanghai customers because the two cities offer EV buyers with various incentives that cut the sticker price of eco-friendly vehicles substantially. As a result, Tesla capitalized on this limited governmental opening and maxed its initial sales volume in the Asian country because… profit, you've guessed it. But by concentrating its delivery efforts only in the previously mentioned cities, the rest of the country was left out, more or less.
We kind of understand the guy considering he shelled out a downpayment of 250,000 yuans ($40,178) from as far back as October 2013. But we kind of sympathize with the damaged car as well. From the looks of it, only the windshield and the bonnet need replacement, so that's about $10,000 worth of repairs on top of the $173k fully kitted Testa Model S. Due to freight costs and import duties, Chinese customers pay way more for a Model S than U.S. buyers.
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