MT CONFIDENTIAL

“The average customer is very, very excited about driving electric, much more excited than I thought they would be,” he says. Schot’s point is if people like the way BEVs drive—the silence, smooth acceleration, But as our exclusive scoop shots of a prototype undergoing testing in Utah show (see pg. 40), this costly unibody, all-independent suspension, air-sprung SUV is a million miles removed from the rugged, simple, affordable Defender of yore. That leaves a hole in the market, say execs from European chemicals company Ineos, which is backing the development of an ultimate off-road vehicle it believes will be the old Defender’s spiritual successor. Code-named Projekt Grenadier, it will be a body-on-frame midsize pickup with coil-sprung live axles front and rear. Engines will be supplied by BMW. First production vehicles are expected in Europe in 2021; a subsequent U.S. launch is also planned. The company has signed a contract to supply British curio sports car maker Morgan with its B58 turbocharged I-6. It will be the first turbocharged engine used in a Morgan. Porsche is expected to launch the Taycan in two-motor, AWD 4S and Turbo forms. Yes, we know an electric vehicle doesn’t have a turbocharger, but in the combustion engine Porsches, the Turbo nomenclature is reserved for the higher-powered models. However, it appears the entry-level Taycan will be powered by a single motor, mounted at the rear of the car and driving the rear wheels.