A Chinese Man Smashed His Brand New Model S To Protest 'Tesla's Arrogance'

A disgruntled Tesla owner took delivery of his brand new Model S last week and promptly smashed its windshield with a wrench, reports the Wall Street Journal.

The owner, Yu Xin Quan, a Chinese e-commerce entrepreneur, reportedly destroyed his $170,000 car's windshield to protest what he called "Tesla's arrogance."

For the past few months, Mr. Yu has been the outspoken leader of a group of Chinese Tesla customers who had their orders delayed due to a series of production, logistical, and legal issues. While most were placated by a meeting with the company's CEO, Elon Musk, in April, Mr. Yu continued his voice his dissatisfaction.

The disgruntled owner expected to be one of the first in China to take delivery of the Model S when he placed his order last October. He became furious at Tesla earlier this year when he discovered that his car had not even been built when others in the country had already received their cars.

To ameliorate the situation, Tesla offered to put special edition decals on the car and install charging equipment at his home free of charge. The company even offered Mr. Yu the use of one of its showroom display vehicles for a month while he awaited the arrival of his bespoke Model S.

But Yu rejected the proposal, telling the WSJ that the showroom car just wouldn't be the same has own. "I feel like I just married a woman who has been married," said Yu.

Though most will view such behavior with utter incredulity, the purposeful destruction of expensive toys is not so uncommon in China. It can be attributed to variety of causes, from the growing demand of Chinese consumers on customer service to the entitled mindset of China's elite, to the inadequacy of the country's civil litigation process.

Whatever the reason, here are a couple of the more famous examples where Chinese owners of expensive cars have destroyed them in protest:

Maserati Quattroporte: May 2013

Last year, a Maserati owner in northeastern China hired a group of men with sledgehammers to pummel his $423,000 Quattroporte sedan in front the exhibition hall at the Qingdao auto show. The man was reportedly upset over a botched repair at the company's dealership. The owner accused the shop of overcharging him while using second-hand parts.

Lamborghini Gallardo: March 2011

Two year before the Maserati incident, a new Lamborghini Gallardo met a similar fate after the cars disgruntled owner hired a group of sledgehammer wielding men to demolish the malfunctioning supercar. According to GT Spirit, the Gallardo, which retailed in China at the time for $529,000 to $757,000, failed to start on delivery and suffered damage to its bodywork and suspension during delivery. The owner was unsuccessful in his attempts to resolve the issue by contacting Lamborghini CEO Stephan Winkelmann.