Porsche has released details of the long awaited junior Cayenne SUV and also thrown something of a curveball. We have known of the existence of the Audi Q5-based car for quite some time and had got used to the Cajun name it wore during pre-production - it followed nicely in the spice-rack naming cycle after Cayenne. But now we learn that Porsche's Evoque rival will be called the Macan.
The name itself is derived from the Indonesian word for tiger and is said to combine the 'suppleness, power, fascination and dynamics that are core characteristics of the new off-road car', which is nice but as Bernhard Maier, Member of the Executive Board Sales and Marketing of Porsche AG, was at pains to point out: "The Macan combines all sports car characteristics with the benefits of a SUV and is a genuine Porsche."
Purists will say that the Macan is further proof of the dilution of a Porsche brand once synonymous with pure sports cars and little else but Porsche is simply following the money. The Eastern markets, and China in particular, are snapping up Porsches like they are going out of fashion but not the 911s and Boxsters - the Chinese nouveau riche want SUVs and big four-door saloons like the Cayenne and Panamera.
Frankly we're delighted that Porsche is producing the Macan as, like the Cayenne, its mere existence means that it can carry on building GT3s and Cayman Rs.