I do, but I can’t.  See, I don’t have it yet and I have no idea when I’ll get it.  (It’s totally ok if you don’t want to feel too badly for me.)  I ordered it in January.  It’s a new model and I was supposed to get it in April.  Then May.  Then June.  You get the idea.  I just got passed over for September and now they’re telling me October.  Guess who’s not holding his breath?

But that’s not the interesting part.  What’s fascinating is the reason I was given for the delay… Mercedes is prioritizing customers in Asia over customers in the US!  While I would really just like my car, I’m still blown away by this personal example of how global economic tectonic plates are shifting right now. 

It would have been inconceivable (hat tip to Vizzini) just ten years ago to imagine a multi-national luxury brand like Mercedes Benz making a conscious decision to risk offending US customers to cater to Asian customers.  Today, with China’s population alone at nearly four times the size of the US and their economy growing rapidly, it makes all the sense in the world.

Just because something has been one way for our whole life doesn’t mean it has to stay that way.  Really cool.  And for one car guy, a bit frustrating.