Porsche Names Their New Small Sport Utility ‘Macan’

Don’t call it the Cajun anymore, because Porsche has officially announced the company’s upcoming small sport utility vehicle will be called the Macan.

The name Macan is derived from the Indonesian word for tiger and combines suppleness, power, fascination and dynamics – Core characteristics of the 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.

Personally, I could care less about the name.. The real question, will it drive and perform like a real Porsche should? We’ll find out soon enough!