Porsche has named its sub-Cayenne SUV the Macan. It comes from the Indonesian word for tiger, before you ask, and is said to represent the ‘suppleness, power, fascination and dynamics’ the company’s Range Rover Evoque rival will possess.
 
The press release is keen to stress it’s ‘a genuine Porsche’, too, though it’s expected to share engines and some of its underpinnings with the Audi Q5.
 
The Macan’s unlikely to please Porsche purists then, but it’s a key part of the company’s ‘Strategy 2018’ model expansion plan, and is designed to emulate the huge sales success of the Cayenne, which currently accounts for over half of all Porsche purchases. A smaller SUV is expected to bring a wealth of all-important younger buyers to the brand.
 
Production begins late in 2013 in Leipzig, where the Cayenne and Panamera are put together. The plant is set to enjoy 500 million euros worth of development, and the Macan’s arrival is creating over 1000 new jobs.
 
Our first glimpse of the five-door Macan is still someway off, and is likely to be early next year, with sales set to begin in early 2014.