Porsche Macan price and release date.

Porsche Macan price expected to start at £36,000, release date spring 2014

The Porsche Macan SUV is about to burst the Range Rover Evoque bubble – and Auto Express has exclusive images and fresh details about how the sporty off-roader is shaping up.The Macan will debut at the 2013 LA Motor Show in November, before a spring 2014 release date, and will be produced at an enlarged factory in Leipzig, Germany.The Macan will be based on the same modular MLB platform that underpins the Audi Q5, but with greater use of aluminium components. This will mean a weight saving of 130kg over the Q5 – more than the reduction the Audi A3 and other compact VW Group models achieved by adopting the MQB platform.As with the Q5, the Macan will also be exclusively four-wheel drive from launch. Although the engine line-up has yet to be confirmed, Porsche is likely to use a range of six-cylinder petrol and diesel engines, with four-cylinder versions appearing later in the car’s life cycle.

Following the pattern set by other models in the line-up, sportier S and Hybrid versions are likely, but expect a morelimited engine range than with the larger and more expensive Cayenne.A Porsche insider confirmed that although the car would share some chassis parts with the Q5, the new engines, suspension tuning and interior architecture would all be unique to the Macan. That means a cabin layout similar to that in the latest 911 and Panamera, with a row of switches either side of the gearlever.Styling will reflect the Macan’s sporty intentions, with “all the usual Porsche design cues”, as our images show. Tapered rear lights are inspired by the latest 911, but the wide front grille, large bumpers and strong stance are retained from the Cayenne.

With the Macan’s rivals already well established, and new cars like the low-slung BMW X4 just round the corner, Porsche is also keen to “make a conscious effort to avoid it becoming a fashion item”. So the Macan will be more exclusive, with “a significantly lower sales volume” than the big-selling Evoque.Once the Leipzig plant is up to speed, there will be no extra capacity for other model lines, so cars such as the much-rumoured Pajun saloon are still several years away. But Porsche claims it’ll be keeping a close eye on the progress of the Maserati Ghibli to assess the potential of this BMW 5 Series-sized model.Finally, our source added that the Macan will cost significantly less than the Cayenne, which starts at £45,000. This points to a price of around £36,000 once the car reaches dealers, which would be a similar percentage increase over the Q5 to the premium the Cayenne commands over the mechanically similar Audi Q7. MG

Source: AutoExpress