I suppose it was inevitable; Porsche recently announced that the name for the new SUV in their line-up is Macan. Derived from the Indonesian word for tiger, it is said to combine suppleness, power, fascination and dynamics - core characteristics of this new car. This new SUV is said to slot in below the Cayenne.
The Macan will be sixth in the model line-up (behind the 911, Boxster, Cayman, Cayenne, Panamera) and Porsche intends for it to emulate the success of the Cayenne. Based on the sheer number of Cayennes on the roads in the world (just look at how many there are on the roads in Malaysia!), I think that this is a brilliant move by the folks in Stuttgart. Slated for production in Leipzig in 2013, this site will expand into a fully-fledged production plant that includes body assembly line and paint shop; one of the biggest building projects in Porsche's corporate history, costing an eye-watering 500 million Euros.
Very little is known about the Macan at time of writing, but we can expect that it will be based loosely on the Q5 platform. So a lifestyle focused vehicle, for folks who want prestige, does not need the excessive space in the Cayenne but need the option of having some space for those 'just in case' moments. Personally, I can't wait to see how this pans out.
The Porsche Macan is coming. - YouTube
