Automotive
April 4, 2024
New, unrelated initiatives center on the outdoors and rugged terrain. Image credit: Mercedes-Benz
By Zach James
German automaker Mercedes-Benz and Toyota Corp.’s Lexus are taking a similar approach to platforming their new vehicles.
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