Make/Model Data Loading

docs/changes/platform-vehicle-data-loader.md

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+# Platform Vehicle Data Loader Refresh
+
+## Context
+- Reintroduced the normalized `vehicles` schema (make/model/model_year/trim/engine + bridges) with a new migration under `backend/src/features/platform/migrations/001_create_vehicle_lookup_schema.sql`.
+- Added `scripts/load_vehicle_data.py`, a stand-alone Python loader that hydrates the schema from `data/make-models/*.json`.
+- Loader truncates lookup tables, seeds default transmissions (Automatic, Manual), and inserts deduplicated year → make → model → trim → engine combinations.
+
+## Follow-up Tasks (Backend API Team)
+1. **Wire dropdown API to refreshed data**
+   - Run `make migrate` (or `npm run migrate:all` inside backend container) to ensure the new schema exists.
+   - Execute the loader (see command below) so Postgres has the latest lookup entries.
+   - Verify `VehicleDataRepository` queries and Redis caching logic continue to function against the reinstated tables.
+2. **Add Makefile wrapper**
+   - Create a `make load-vehicle-data` task that shells into the backend container, installs `psycopg` if needed, and invokes `python3 scripts/load_vehicle_data.py` with the correct DB credentials and data directory.
+
+### Loader Command Reference
+```
+PGPASSWORD=$(cat secrets/app/postgres-password.txt) \
+python3 scripts/load_vehicle_data.py \
+  --db-host 127.0.0.1 \
+  --db-port 5432 \
+  --db-user postgres \
+  --db-name motovaultpro \
+  --data-dir data/make-models
+```
+
+> Run the command from the repository root (outside of containers) while `mvp-postgres` is up. Adjust host/port if executing inside a container.