Imagine this – it’s a sunny day and you’re taking delivery of your brand new car. But within minutes, the front end is smashed in and the car is lying diagonally on the road. That’s exactly what happened to a car buyer in India, whose shiny new ride was bruised just outside the dealership in one of the fastest wrecks we’ve seen.
The VW dealership in Rajahmundry, Andhra Pradesh, was the site of a dramatic incident involving a gold-painted Virtus – a budget four-door sedan for emerging markets. Unfortunately, the new car lost its shine just moments after leaving the dealership floor, tumbling nearly 7 ft (2.1 m) off the dealership floor and onto a nearby street.
Read: This Brand New Genesis G80 Crashed Just Minutes After Delivery
Despite the severity of the fall, the damage to the VW Virtus was not as extensive as one might expect. However, the car will need a new front bumper and some internal components to be replaced. Photos suggest that the airbags did not deploy, indicating that the accident likely occurred at a low speed. This also explains why the car did not suffer more damage from the fall, as a full jump could have caused costly damage to the suspension components and underbody.
RushLane, that reported on the incident, raised concerns about the ease of obtaining a driver’s license in India. With many young drivers lacking proper training and experience, accidents like this are unfortunately all too common. While we hope the driver of the VW Virtus was wearing a seatbelt and escaped injury, it’s also possible that the car was empty at the time of the accident, if someone forgot to apply the parking brake correctly. Regardless, the incident serves as a reminder of the importance of safe driving practices and proper driver education.
The unlucky VW was recovered by a crane with bystanders assisting in the process. Hopefully, insurance will cover the costs of the repairs and the car will be safely enjoyed on the road by its new owner for many miles to come with no further issues.
