The stately hood ornament's quiet demise

That ultimate symbol of brand and luxury, the automotive hood ornament, seems to be nearing the end of the road. Newsweek reports that Jaguar has quietly stopped offering its signature cat figurine as a standard feature, and Mercedes is using a raised ornament on less than one-third of its new models. Hood ornaments have been on the decline for decades, especially since Ralph Nader ruined the fun by pointing out that these often spear-like flourishes had a habit of, well, spearing pedestrians.