Rumors of a sub-Cayenne SUV from Porsche have been floating around for several years. A few months ago, Porsche surprised many by announcing that the name for the upcoming sport-utility would not be the expected "Cajun" (Cayenne Junior?) that many had preemptively assigned to it but instead would be "Macan." Named after the Indonesian word for tiger, the Macan follows the Cayman in Porsche's use of exotic animal names for new models. Now, we have photos of what is believed to be a near production-ready model.
Like the Cayenne, the Macan will share its platform with other Volkswagen Group products. In this case, that happens to be the Audi Q5. Additionally, the Macan's powertrain lineup is expected to largely mirror that of the Q5, but with a bit more power and handling capability. Following the official announcement of a Cayenne diesel for the U.S. market, a diesel option for the Macan is a possibility. Also possible is a hybrid model, which is expected to utilize the VW Group’s 2.0-liter turbocharged I-4 mated to an inline electric motor.
Following in the footsteps of the Range Rover Evoque, the Macan is expected to be launched as a four-door, but a two-door model is reportedly under consideration. Check out the full gallery of photos at Motor Trend's Wide Open Throttle.