Not to be nit picking, but your avatar is an M6 rear....

I'm not sure about MB becoming Americanized but I know what you mean about BMW. Their design philosophy is controversial, and they know it. To Me MB tries a little to hard to be pleasant for everyone where as BMW builds to be awsome for some and ugly for others. They're bold with their styling, which is what mercedes lacks. They use hard lines where mercedes uses bubbly soft lines. I love mercedes, dont get me wrong, but the styling is too generic.

P.S. my friend had breakfast with Chris Bangle since he wants to become a designer for BMW. My dad has also met Bangle. I havent yet
But if and when I do i am going to SLAP him and then compliment his designs.