Years back when Lexus and Infiniti was launched in the US, Car and Driver interviewed the then BMW boss and asked him about the impending threat from the Japanese. His reply reflects the typical, current German attitude, according to him, the Japanese didn't have the necessary genes to design and built an original car, in his words, the Germans shall prevail due to the fact that people bought the German cars for prestige.

Now I don't know about others, I only bought the OM 616 engined MB for reliability, prestige be damned.