MT CONFIDENTIAL

performance guru Albert Biermann is rumored to have gotten more involved in the forthcoming redesigned Optima, code-named DL3a, so that it can be differentiated more from the Hyundai Sonata, especially on the tamer models. The flip side of is of a front-engine, rear-drive Kia coupe powered by the same 2.5-liter turbo-four as the Optima GT. No other detail as yet, but it doesn’t take too much sleuthing to work out it’s likely a production version of the GT4 Stinger concept revealed at the 2014 Detroit show. With Hyundai-Kia’s laser focus on beating Toyota, don’t be surprised if it’s been specifically developed to go after the Supra, at a much lower price point. The 992 series was designed to accommodate batteries and a motor mounted between the engine and transmission, but the project has been canceled, according to sources in Stuttgart. The hybrid legacy lives on in the latest iteration of Porsche’s iconic sports car, though. First, there’s the wider front track and larger vents in the front bumper, designed to accommodate the battery pack and cooling. And then there’s the new eight-speed PDK transmission, which insiders complain is now bigger and heavier than it needs to be. will be all electric; there won’t be an internal combustion version available. Daimler, though, is having an each-way bet. The redesigned S-Class, due late next year, will offer a full complement of internal combustion engines, plus a plug-in hybrid model with a 60-mile range on pure electric power. Joining it in 2021, however, will be a full-size all-electric limo dubbed EQS. To be built on a new skateboard BEV platform called EVA2, the EQS will feature a large underfloor battery pack and motors at the front and rear axles. Unlike the EQC SUV, which looks much like a regular GLC, the four-door EQS will feature more dramatic styling than the regular S-Class sedan.