Has anyone stopped to think that the Germans (mostly Mercedes) have done all the R&D on just about every major automotive inovation for years and years. Everything on a Lexus LS was invented by either Mercedes or BMW (almost all Mercedes).

Go through the list of safety and other features on a Lexus LS-430 and other than the variable intake manifold (BMW) it all came from Mercedes.

I can't understand why Mercedes gives this stuff away. Anybody that can afford to buy an LS-430 should be able to pay a premium for the safety features invented by Mercedes.

Toyota is a brilliantly run company who have been letting others do their R&D for years.

If I were smart, I'd buy a Lexus. I'm not smart so I keep on buying cars from the guys that have leading edge wind burn.