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G. Noble

Editor/Reporter

CheersandGears.com

Thursday, 16th February, 2012

This is it — the new upcoming small SUV from Porsche. No, it isn’t going to be named “Cajun” as previously thought. Instead, Porsche went with something a little less spicy for the name and decided to choose an Indonesian word meaning “tiger” — Macan.

The sketch you see above was released this morning directly from Porsche, along with a

and a press release mostly full of non-information regarding the new Audi Q5-based soft-roader. That means there isn’t any official word about what engines will wind up powering the Macan, but it’s probably safe to assume they’ll be Porsche-specific. The same will probably apply to suspension and braking systems as well. Additionally, if current rumors are to be believed, we may also see a hybrid Macan and a three-door model that’ll duke it out with the Range Rover Evoque.

According to Porsche, the Macan is a key model in its business strategy that’ll lead it into 2018. It’s set to go into production in 2013.

Hit page two for the press release.

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NEW PORSCHE MODEL TO BE NAMED MACAN

New Porsche sports car in the sports utility segment has been given the name Macan

The Macan will be built at the Porsche factory in Leipzig, Germany

Production due to start in 2013

Porsche today confirms the name for its forthcoming new sports car in the SUV segment is Macan. The name Macan is derived from the Indonesian word for tiger and combines suppleness, power, fascination and dynamics – core characteristics of this new all-terrain car.

"The Macan combines all sports car characteristics with the benefits of an SUV and is a genuine Porsche", said 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."

As a new addition to the Porsche model range, the Macan is a key pillar of the company's Strategy 2018, by which the sports car manufacturer wishes to expand its model portfolio. Porsche intends the Macan to emulate the success of the Cayenne. The new car will start coming off the production lines at the Porsche factory in Leipzig, Saxony, in 2013. The site is currently being expanded into a fully-fledged production plant including body assembly line and paint shop; with 500 million euro of investment, it is one of the biggest building projects in the corporate history of Porsche. In the medium-term, the sports car manufacturer will be creating more than 1,000 new jobs.

Porsche names have an indelible connection with the corresponding model and its characteristics: the name Boxster describes the combination of 'boxer' engine and 'roadster', Cayenne stands for sharpness, the Cayman is snappy and agile and a Panamera is more than a Gran Turismo, capable also of winning the Carrera Panamericana long-distance race.