Cajun No More: Porsche Officially Names Upcoming Compact Crossover “Macan,” Releases Sketch

The drawing above depicts the 2014 Porsche Macan, the compact crossover formerly known as Cajun. We've extensively covered this long-anticipated baby Porsche SUV, but here's a recap: The Macan will share its architecture with the Audi Q5 and slot into the Porsche SUV lineup—yes, the company now has a lineup of SUVs—below the Cayenne. It likely will use engines pulled from Audi's parts bin, but as you can see from the design sketch Porsche released today, won't share its look with any four-ringer. The styling is hardly shocking—it strongly resembles the Cayenne—and it looks very similar to a rendering we published some months ago. So why the name change? Apparently "Macan" sounds good in many languages—it means "tiger" in Indonesian—and, at least according to Porsche, "evoke[s] positive associations." While Porsche's small SUV was never officially named "Cajun"—as we pointed out when Porsche green-lit the model—it had a nice ring to it and it matched the larger Cayenne's spicy-sounding moniker. (The new name makes us think of macaws. And pecans.) Regardless, Porsche's high-riding tiger will begin rolling off an assembly line in Leipzig, Germany, in 2013 before going on sale as a 2014 model. We expect the Macan to debut at an auto show later this year. In the meantime, check out Porsche's uplifting teaser video for the Macan below. from Car and Driver Blog http://blog.caranddriver.com

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