Philippines: Government has Porsche and Daimler luxury cars smashed with excavators

A few days ago, the customs authorities of the Philippines destroyed a number of luxury cars with an excavator.

Including models from Mercedes and Porsche.

Stuttgart / Manila - Luxury cars are not uncommon on the streets of the state capital Stuttgart *. After all, with Daimler AG * and Porsche AG *, two world-famous car manufacturers have their headquarters in the Swabian capital, which mainly produce cars in the upper price range. For example, Daimler founded a completely new company for luxury cars (BW24 * reported). The group wants to bundle the brands AMG, Maybach and the G-Class in the future. In addition, a few weeks ago Daimler AG presented the EQS, the first fully electric luxury sedan *, and Porsche is also celebrating great successes with the Taycan electric sports car.

The luxury models from Mercedes-Benz and Porsche are not only sold in Baden-Württemberg and Germany, but are also exported to other countries.

Trade in luxury cars * is currently booming, especially in China.

But the cars from Stuttgart are also driven in the island state of the Philippines.

However, some luxury models have fared less well there recently: The government under President Rodrigo Duterte set an example and had 21 luxury cars destroyed by an excavator, as

reported by

.

Daimler AG and Porsche vehicles in the Philippines dismantled with excavators

For models like the Mercedes S-Class or the Porsche 911, you have to dig deep into your pockets. In other countries, however, it is difficult to get to the luxury cars even with the necessary cash. For example in the Philippines, which is why a large number of expensive luxury cars are illegally imported into the country there. According to

, the

destruction was carried out a few days ago by the customs authority Bureau of Customs (BOC) at the port of the Philippine capital Manila. The statement behind it is as simple as it is uncompromising: what comes into the country illegally will be destroyed.

In Germany or other European countries, confiscated cars are either returned to the sender or auctioned off.

However, President Duterte rules the Philippines with an iron hand.

The customs authorities in Manila used heavy artillery and flattened the sinfully expensive luxury cars with an excavator.

The spectacle of destruction can be seen in a video that the BOC published on YouTube.

Among the destroyed luxury bodies were a Mercedes SLK from Daimler AG and a Porsche 911. In addition, a brand new McLaren 620R, which is limited to 225 pieces worldwide, was scrapped.

Philippine government destroys luxury cars worth the equivalent of one million euros

The pictures in the video from the Philippine Customs Authority BOC are probably difficult to bear for car fans. You can see, for example, how the excavator's shovel destroyed the windshield of the silver Mercedes SLK before the excavator operator turned his attention to another luxury car. But that's not all: In the video, an employee of the authority is hitting the expensive cars with a sledgehammer. Finally, the excavator drives over the vehicles with its large, heavy tracks. The authority puts the value of the total of 21 destroyed luxury cars at the equivalent of one million euros.

According to

, this was not the first of its kind. In February, several expensive cars were destroyed in the port of Manila. According to the portal, such a procedure in the Southeast Asian country is covered by a law by President Duterte. The controversial head of government says he wants to take action against crime, drug trafficking and smuggling and seems to have no mercy. A similar incident occurred in Spain a few months ago. There, however, the reason was not a symbolic act, but anger over a dismissal. An ex-Daimler employee dismantled 50 brand new Mercedes-Benz * with an excavator. * BW24

IPPEN.MEDIA.