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 to 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 with 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, that the showroom car just wouldn't be the same as his 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.