Autocar confidential: Why the US is so important for Porsche, MG's UK plans and more

Our reporters empty their notebooks to round up a week of gossip in the automotive world

In this week's edition of Autocar confidential, Kia's main designer tells us what he wants to draw next and we ask why the Toyota Camry failed in Britain when it succeeded everywhere else. But first, why is the USA so important for Porsche?

*Porsche's gold rush*

Porsche had a strong presence at LA, testament to just how crucial the US – and particularly California – is for the brand: “If the Golden State was a country, it would be the fourth-largest market for Porsche,” the firm said. Of the 28,460 Taycans sold in the first nine months of 2021, some 8% found homes in California. 

*Kia designer's pick-up dreams*

As Kia revealed its vision for a large electric SUV, we had to ask design boss Karim Habib if he’d fancy following Hyundai’s lead with a pickup: “I’d welcome it with open arms,” he said. “It would fit with our portfolio and the brand. In the pickup market in the US, there is a huge amount of loyalty to existing brands. But there are also new things opening up. So maybe there is room for another brand.” 

*MG's Marvel-R **decision​ *

Like the look of MG’s slick new Marvel-R SUV? Us, too, so we asked Europe CEO Matt Lei when we’ll be able to buy it in the UK. He said: “The brand came from the UK, which is why we’re putting a lot of focus on the UK market.” But he added: “We are still trying to understand which are the most suitable products.” 

*How did the UK kill the Camry?*

The Toyota Camry is a huge-selling global car but survived for just two and a half years in the UK before being pulled from sale. Was it an experiment that went wrong? Product boss Andrea Carlucci said: “It was part of a clear strategy of expanding to all relevant categories.” But he welcomed the decision to “optimise” the line-up because the arrival of new bZ-badged EVs “will create new complexity”.