The difference between the Old World and 'murica

From the Times comes this amusing piece:

Will Europeans’ embrace of badgeless cars make its way across the Atlantic? It seems unlikely; unless the recession fundamentally changes the national psyche, Americans seem to prefer flaunting wealth, even if it’s only pretend-riches. Officials at BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Audi say they haven’t seen an uptick in requests for badgeless cars or post-sale label removal…

In fact, Rob Moran, public relations manager for Mercedes-Benz USA, said it was more common for Americans to add badges. The results can be silly, like affixing an AMG label (signifying cars from Mercedes’s high-performance division) to an older C-Class that was never offered in AMG form. “Technically,” he said, “that car doesn’t exist.”

In fairness, though, rice and its ilk knows no bounds.