Although it has yet to formally present any mechanical details, Porsche has confirmed that it’s new "sports car in the SUV segment" will arrive wearing the "Macan" name rather than long-speculated "Cajun" moniker. Derived from an Indonesian word for tiger, Porsche elected to call this scaled-down Cayenne alternative the Macan because it believes the name conveys a sense of the suppleness, power, fascination and dynamics that are all "core characteristics of this new all-terrain car." According to Bernhard Maier, Executive Vice President Sales and Marketing of Porsche AG, "The name of a new Porsche has to fit with the brand, sound good in very many languages and dialects and evoke positive associations."
Expected to be spun from a Porsche-modified version of the same platform that will underpin the next-generation Audi Q5, the new Macan clearly has a more car-like silhouette than the Cayenne with body contours that appear to be heavily influenced by the latest 911. Word out of Europe is that both four- and six-cylinder gasoline and diesel engines will be included in its engine portfolio, although exactly what turns up in U.S. versions is not yet known. Production of the Macan is set to commence in 2013 at the Porsche factory in Leipzig, Germany. The automaker is currently investing some 500 million Euros to upgrade and expand the facility.
