As part of the public protests on China’s World Consumer Rights Day, a Lamborghini Gallardo was smashed with sledgehammers in Qingdao, Shandong, China. The owner reportedly started having problems with the car after six months of ownership on November 29, 2010. Lamborghini sent out a flatbed truck to tow it to its facilities. When the owner went to retrieve the car, he found the engine problem was not fixed and the bumper and chassis were now damaged. The owner called Lamborghini CEO Stephan Winkelmann, the brand’s China headquarters, its after-sales service manager for Asia-Pacific region, and the Volkswagen Group, but the problem was not solved.

Because China is a rapidly growing luxury market and Lamborghini now has six dealerships in the area, the Chinese owner felt a public demonstration may help protect the interests and rights of Chinese consumers in the future. He hired a group of men to destroy his Lamborghini Gallardo with sledgehammers.

Lamborghini responded by saying that it offered to replace the bumper and send technical experts to test the car but refused to replace the car because no frame damage had occurred and there was no safety hazard.

The owner did recognize that the car had been modified, purchased from abroad, had passed through customs, and does not have a current vehicle license.

In China, a Lamborghini Gallardo costs between $529,000 and $757,000.



[via BBS.163.com]

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