One of the cars debuted at this week’s Detroit Auto Show was the 2014 Mercedes-Benz CLA, and to say that the German automaker has a lot riding on its success is a gross understatement. It’s the first Mercedes-Benz in a long time targeted specifically to younger, status-conscious buyers, and Mercedes desperately needs it to ramp up sales. The CLA was designed with Millennials in mind, and only the hippest of that generation need apply. Making it exclusive, you see, increases its appeal.
While few of us would kick supermodel Karlie Koss out of our cars, the Mercedes CLA sees things a bit differently. It’s the jealous type, apparently, and it doesn’t like sharing the spotlight with anything else, especially a snorting, slobbering white horse. It’s almost as if the CLA is saying, “you’re not even touching my steering wheel with those germ-infested hands now.”
What ensues is best described as “pathetic,” unless you’re the sort who loves to see supermodels running after a lost love. If a car ever took off on us like that, we’d wish it all the best, and there’s no way in hell we’d get back in the cabin. In fact, that’s why we don’t ride horses: transportation with a brain and its own free will scares us.
Mind of Its Own on Nowness.com.
Kurt Ernst has been passionate about automobiles and driving nearly his entire life. His early years were shaped working in the family service station, though his real passion was auto racing. After graduating from the University of Colorado, Kurt spent a year club racing with the Sports Car Club of America, before focusing on a business career in marketing and project management. Later, his passion for writing and the automotive hobby found him freelancing for a variety of automotive news sites, including Automotive Addicts and Motor Authority, where his work was syndicated and appeared in several national publications. Recognized as an expert in the automotive field, Kurt joined Hemmings Motor News as an Associate Editor in 2013, and in the years since has progressed to Editor, Hemmings Daily; Managing Editor for Hemmings Motor News, Hemmings Classic Car, Hemmings Muscle Machines, and the Hemmings Daily; and now, Managing Editor, Hemmings Auctions. Kurt was instrumental in organizing the Hemmings Motor News Concours d’Elegance from 2013-2019, and has served as a judge at this event and The Vintage Racing Stable Concours d’Elegance. A Skip Barber Racing School graduate and prolific writer, Ernst is also skilled in copyediting, project management, brand development, and public relations.
