Chinese Bus Drivers Told Not To Total Super Cars

Bertel Schmitt
by Bertel Schmitt

After a rash of crashes involving pricey supercars in China, a bus company in Jinghua, China, is taking action. It teaches its bus drivers:

a.) How to spot a super car

b.) How much that super car costs.

Not in order to raise brand awareness amongst its bus drivers. Carnewschina explains that the insurance usually only covers the first 200,000 yuan ($32,000.) Anything above that comes out of the pocket of the crashor. You have to sell a lot of bus tickets to make up for a bus that plowed into a Rolls.

To mitigate the possible damage, these posters appeared on the walls of the bus company. The posters show the logo of the super car manufacturer and the average price in China. The 500 next to the Maybach indicate 5 million yuan ($800,000.) About right. Ouch.

The only problem: By the time you are close enough to see the logo, it’s usually too late.

Nitpicking Carnewschina misses Porsche on the list, and deduces that the Zuffenhausen cars can be “freely crashed.”

Bertel Schmitt
Bertel Schmitt

Bertel Schmitt comes back to journalism after taking a 35 year break in advertising and marketing. He ran and owned advertising agencies in Duesseldorf, Germany, and New York City. Volkswagen A.G. was Bertel's most important corporate account. Schmitt's advertising and marketing career touched many corners of the industry with a special focus on automotive products and services. Since 2004, he lives in Japan and China with his wife <a href="http://www.tomokoandbertel.com"> Tomoko </a>. Bertel Schmitt is a founding board member of the <a href="http://www.offshoresuperseries.com"> Offshore Super Series </a>, an American offshore powerboat racing organization. He is co-owner of the racing team Typhoon.

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  • Marko Marko on Mar 22, 2012

    Granted, I've never been to China, but why would you have to treat supercars differently than any other car in traffic (other than trying not to get too distracted)? Isn't this encouraging distraction in itself? I mean, wouldn't it be better just to teach keeping distance in general?

  • Darth Lefty Darth Lefty on Mar 24, 2012

    I would personally consider this a list of targets. You could keep track of your value, like the tonnage sunk by your submarine.

  • Brandon I would vote for my 23 Escape ST-Line with the 2.0L turbo and a normal 8 speed transmission instead of CVT. 250 HP, I average 28 MPG and get much higher on trips and get a nice 13" sync4 touchscreen. It leaves these 2 in my dust literally
  • JLGOLDEN When this and Hornet were revealed, I expected BOTH to quickly become best-sellers for their brands. They look great, and seem like interesting and fun alternatives in a crowded market. Alas, ambitious pricing is a bridge too far...
  • Zerofoo Modifications are funny things. I like the smoked side marker look - however having seen too many cars with butchered wire harnesses, I don't buy cars with ANY modifications. Pro-tip - put the car back to stock before you try and sell it.
  • JLGOLDEN I disagree with the author's comment on the current Murano's "annoying CVT". Murano's CVT does not fake shifts like some CVTs attempt, therefore does not cause shift shock or driveline harshness while fumbling between set ratios. Murano's CVT feels genuinely smooth and lets the (great-sounding V6) engine sing and zing along pleasantly.
  • JLGOLDEN Our family bought a 2012 Murano AWD new, and enjoyed it for 280K before we sold it last month. CVT began slipping at 230K but it was worth fixing a clean, well-cared for car. As soon as we sold the 2012, I grabbed a new 2024 Murano before the body style and powertrain changes for 2025, and (as rumored) goes to 4-cyl turbo. Sure, the current Murano feels old-school, with interior switchgear and finishes akin to a 2010 Infiniti. That's not a bad thing! Feels solid, V6 sounds awesome, and the whole platform has been around long enough that future parts & service wont be an issue.
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