China's economic growth in the last decade is nothing short of phenomenal. There are so many new found rich in China and many of them have barely 10 years driving experience but have the cash to buy the fastest and loudest super and hypercars money can buy. You can walk down XinTiandi in downtown Shanghai and spot dozens of Ferraris, Lamborghini's, Aston Martins, Mercedes SLS, Mclarens and etc. The new found wealth is no doubt great for super car dealers since they have move so many cars from the showroom floor. However, the big problem comes when most of these Chinese buyers can barely handle a 200hp VW Passat let alone a 550hp Ferrari. It is like learning how to fly before you can even crawl!
Ferrari claims that more than 30% of the cars sold in China are crashed but the owners who do not have the skill to control the car. Ferrari has been actively promoting their driving programs to help the new owners learn how to drive the cars safely. Being rich, the ego factor comes into play and many of these rich buyers cannot be bothered attending the driving programs and just literally buy the cars and drive it the way they wish. There has been many documented cases where many super cars have crashed on city streets or highways in China. Recently a Porsche 918 was destroyed by a young rich owner and in the last 2 days the first La Ferrari was destroyed also by a young driver.
Like the saying goes, with great power comes great responsibility. This is something that ego alone cannot save the driver. It is like giving a loaded 357 Magnum to a child! The problem is more pronounced in China. The problem occurs world wide where rich people buy the toys that they want but not necessary that they know how to use it.
Car makers really need to install a super nanny program to limit the power of the super car until the owner has gone through the driving program and passed before the car company will give them the access code to unlock the full potential of the car. This nanny mode is good since it can be activated at any time and if the owner himself is not driving and the keys are handed to a person with little or no experience with such powerful machinery they are less likely to wreck it! or kill other people along the way. Alternatively, the car company can provide 2 sets of keys just like how Dodge Hellcat has a black key and red key. The black key is on safe mode and limits the power of the car. For the case of China the owner will be handed a black key to start with and the red key will only be provided once they have gone through the driving program.
Seeing pictures of wrecked exotic cars are not pleasant and I am sure that car companies also do not want to see pictures of their cars destroyed. it is bad publicity!
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