SPY PICS: Tiger burning bright

Having wowed the motoring world with revelations of its forthcoming Macan compact SUV back in February, Porsche is moving ahead at blistering speed with the new model’s development.

Sightings of the Macan are becoming increasingly frequent outside the Porsche development centre in Stuttgart, as the German brand ramps up the development miles in a bid to have the car on sale in Europe by October next year.

Australian deliveries are slated for 2014, when the Macan is expected to almost double Porsche’s local sales to more than 2000, undercutting the Boxster roadster and Cayenne to become Porsche’s cheapest – and therefore best-selling – model.

The Macan, which means 'tiger' in Indonesian, is expected to be priced somewhere between the Audi Q5 (from $63,400) and the Porsche Cayenne, potentially from around $75,000.?

If you think the compact Porsche looks perilously close to a shrunken Cayenne, that’s just what the camouflage guys want. The headlights, taillights and that fake chrome strip towards the rear of the doors are stickers, designed to fool viewers into thinking this is actually a Cayenne.

Even so, the styling differences between the compact SUV and its larger stablemate aren’t that great; the smaller Macan boasts a larger centre grille, creaseless bonnet, longer overhangs, and greater rear rake angle.

In yet another example of the clever platform sharing that has made Volkswagen Group one of world’s most successful car companies, the sporty mid-size SUV will ride on the same next-generation Audi-developed MQB platform that will underpin the redesigned Q5, all-new Q6 and a number of other medium/large SUVs.

That’s likely to mean dimensions of around 4600mm long, 1890mm wide and 1650mm high, which make it around 200mm shorter, 50mm narrower and 40mm lower than the Cayenne.

Anticipated to be offered in three- and five-door variants, Macan will be powered by a range of Audi-sourced engines including 2.0-litre petrol and turbodiesel engines, a 3.6-litre petrol V6 for the Macan S and a 3.0-litre turbodiesel V6 for the Macan Diesel S.  A Macan Hybrid is also on the cards.

Topping the range will be the Macan Turbo, powered by a new twin-turbocharged petrol V6 delivering about 275kW. Porsche reportedly also has eyes on Audi’s new 230kW twin-turbo V6 diesel, which could motivate a model dubbed the Macan Diesel Turbo.

With both the engines and chassis, Porsche will look to put its stamp on things by honing them to its familiar sporting edge.

The company will shed no tears over claims the car looks too much like its big brother, knowing that for anyone who can’t afford a Cayenne, having a pint-sized doppelganger is the next best thing.

— with Carparazzi

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