Porsche Macan 2014 News

With images of the all-new Porsche Macan leaking onto the internet this morning, the German carmaker has revealed official images of the car in tandem with its debut at Los Angeles motor show.The Macan -- which is likely to outstrip the top-selling Cayenne for Porsche's bottom line benefit -- will start rolling out early in 2014 and be the cheapest way to get into the Porsche family.Although taking some cues from its bigger sibling, the Macan looks sportier and more dynamic with a more steeply sloping bonnet, strongly raked front and rear glass and sweeping roofline.  Air ducts on the nose vary in size according to the model, giving a clue as to what's under the bonnet even before you see the badge. The cabin carries over even more from the Cayenne, with the same styling and layout.The Macan is based on the same platform as the Audi Q5, but carries several innovations that one-up its stablemate. The 'clamshell' bonnet is designed to give better airflow to the engine bay, while radiator shutters behind the front air duct close can at high speeds to reduce drag. An optional air suspension system lets the driver adjust the ride height by up to 40mm to give a maximum 230mm clearance for heading offroad. Also on the options list is a torque vectoring system to optimise handling and stability. Traction-oriented off-road mode is activated via a button at speeds up to 80 km/h, while another button switches on the hill control between 3-30km/h.Porsche says the Macan will launch here with a three-model all-wheel drive line-up, all powered by V6 engines mated to a seven-speed DSG transmission. The range kicks off with the Macan S carrying a twin-turbo 3.0-litre V6 developing 250kW of power and 460Nm of torque, delivering a 0-100km/h time of 5.4 seconds and a top speed of 254km/h with claimed fuel economy of 8.7L/100km.The Macan Turbo is powered by a new twin-turbo 294kW/550Nm 3.6-litre that gets to 100km/h in 4.8 seconds and tops at 266km/h, with 8.9L/100km fuel economy. The 190kW/580Nm 3.0-litre turbodiesel in the Diesel S delivers 0-100km/h in 6.3 seconds and a top speed of 230km/h with frugal 6.1L/100km fuel economy.  Later models will include a future base variant with a turbo 2.0-litre petrol four-cylinder and a fuel economy leader with a 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbodiesel.

Porsche will full reveal the new Macan SUV at the Los Angeles show in about a week, but details of the crossover range's outputs and weights have purportedly just leaked online from a Chinese brochure. The spec sheet, leaked by Autohome in China, appears to show the power outputs and curb weights of the Macan S, Macan S Diesel and Macan Turbo.The sheet notes the entry level Macan S's twin-turbo 3.0-litre engine as developing 250kW of power and 460Nm of torque, while the diesel model's 3.0-litre V6 offers 190kW and 580Nm. The top-spec Macan Turbo's twin-turbo direct-inject 3.6-litre V6 is cited giving 294kW and 550Nm.The Turbo might be the post powerful, but it's also the weightiest, tipping the scales at 1947kg, compared with the Macan S at 1928kg and the diesel at 1898kg.The brochure also mentions 0-100km/h accleration figures for all three drivetrains, with the Macan S Diesel managing 6.2 seconds, the petrol Macan S 5.5 seconds. and the Turbo a very impressive 4.8 seconds. As previously reported -- when the last tidbits were leaked -- Porsche may also later bring a lower base model four-cylinder engine to the Macan range.This reporter is on Twitter: @KarlaPincott 

Porsche will be unveiling the new Macan at the Los Angeles motor show in three weeks, but has already been vigorously teasing it. The latest preview is footage of the little crossover undergoing heat and all-wheel drive testing in the United Arab Emirates. Filmed in the scorching desert outside the UAE capital, Dubai, the Macans tackle the dunes and happily slide around on the shifting slopes.We'll have to wait until closer to the show to get official confirmation of the Macan's performance and economy, but leaked presentation slides have already revealed it will be launched with a choice of 3.0-litre and 3.6-litre turbocharged petrol V6 engines, with Macan S hero likely to have the twin-turbo 3.6-litre. Other variants will follow later: an entry-level petrol four-cylinder and a turbodiesel V6.Watch the 2014 Porsche Macan desert video here. 

Here's a great reason to prioritise good handling when buying your next car. Not only would it be immense fun to spend the odd weekend perfecting laptimes at your favourite track, but it could save you from having a crash.Imagine a big top-heavy SUV trying to avoid this accident. We're not sure if it would have slammed in the back of the Renault Clio, the side parapet or ended up offroad -- but it surely would have made it much harder to avoid trouble.Watch the Porsche close call thanks to slick driving video here.This reporter is on Twitter: @VladCARS 

Porsche's Macan crossover will debut at the Los Angeles motor show in November, but a new video is giving a first look at the baby in action. They haven't released any details of what's under the bonnet, but from leaked presentation slides we already know it will be launched with either 3.0 or 3.6-litre turbocharged petrol V6 engines, with the twin-turbo 3.6-litre likely to be the Macan S performance hero.A petrol four-cylinder -- likely to be a price-fighting base model -- and turbodiesel V6 options are expected to be offered later. We'll get more details and our first live look at the Macan when the LA motor show kicks off on November 20-21.Watch video of the Porsche Macan here. 

Porsche’s new little Macan crossover SUV is ready for its global debut at the Los Angeles motor show in November, but a new dedicated microsite is teasing us with fresh details and images.The German carmaker is not calling the Audi Q5-based newcomer a crossover, preferring instead to refer to it as a five-seat, five-door sports car. Which just happens to have all-wheel drive and an elevated seating position. Design cues include large air intakes, wide shoulders and a sloping roof, Porsche says.They haven't released any details of what's under the bonnet, but from leaked presentation slides we already know it will be launched with either 3.0 or 3.6-litre turbocharged petrol V6 engines, with the twin-turbo 3.6-litre likely to be the Macan S performance hero.A petrol four-cylinder -- likely to be a price-fighting base model -- and turbodiesel V6 options are expected to be offered later. We'll get more details and our first live look at the Macan when the LA motor show kicks off on November 20-21.www.motorauthority.com 

Details of Porsche’s new Macan SUV have been leaked online, giving us our first official taste of the new sub-Cayenne model ahead of its official unveiling at the LA motor show in November.US site Jalopnik has published a series of slides from a dealer presentation in the US, which outline part of the Macan’s drivetrain lineup and US pricing.According to the slides, the new Audi Q5-based SUV will be available with either 3.0 or 3.6 litre turbocharged petrol V6 engines from launch, with the 3.6 expected to be the performance flagship.Outputs, performance, and efficiency claims were not specified however, and the Macan is also expected to offer petrol four cylinder and turbodiesel V6 options further down the track.The slides list US pricing of the V6 petrol models as $US52,000 ($55,950) for the 3.0 litre, and US$75,000 ($80,690) for the 3.6 litre version, but don’t expect those prices to be a straight equivalent when the Macan launches here.However the US-spec 3.0-litre Macan will slip in just beneath the Cayenne Diesel available locally for $101,100, and the 3.6-litre just beneath the Cayenne GTS available here for $150,400, which gives a better indication of the smaller SUV’s price band in Australia.The Macan’s exact styling remains a mystery though, with the presentation showing just a digital rendering from German site Autobild.Also mentioned in the presentation was the upcoming Targa version of the 911, which will debut at the Detroit show in January, with the slides confirming a return to the traditional full-width roof opening, compared with the sliding glass centre roof section of the previous three 911 generations.Upcoming GTS versions of the Boxster and Cayman were also shown, with outputs of 243kW and 250kW to sit above the existing 232kW and 239kW S models, along with unique 20 inch wheels and body styling. The Porsche Macan is expected to arrive in local showrooms in the first quarter of next year, while 911 Targa and Boxster and Cayman GTS launch dates are yet to be announced.This reporter is on Twitter: @Mal_Flynn 

There are Audi wheels and a bit of striping and trim work, but this is how the Macan will look at its official preview next month at the Frankfurt Motor Show. But no-one outside Porsche knows if it will have a four-cylinder engine.

Though we've seen the 2014 Porsche Macan in testing, virtually undisguised, and we've heard it's coming to the 2013 Los Angeles Auto Show for a global debut, now we get our first official timeline on

Porsche is about to expand its lineup with two brand new models. One will be the 918 Spyder at the top of the range and the other will be the Macan crossover positioned at the bottom of the range.The Macan will go on sale in early 2014 in the US and Europe, which means we’re likely to see it unveiled at a major international auto show towards the end of this year.Auto Express is reporting that the unveiling will take place at the 2013 Los Angeles Auto Show in November, which makes sense given Porsche’s penchant for the show in LA and the number of its previous debuts there.The US remains Porsche’s single biggest market, and within the country the state of California has the biggest concentration of the automaker’s iconic sports cars and crossovers.Production of the Macan will start later this year at Porsche’s plant in Leipzig, Germany. Sharing a platform with the Audi Q5, the Macan will nevertheless be as Porsche as the Cayenne, which itself shares its underpinnings with another Volkswagen Group model, the Touareg.The Macan is a crucial model for Porsche, as the automaker expects it to be its top-seller. Sales projections of around 50,000-55,000 units per year have been described by Porsche as "cautious estimates," and more recently there has been talk that sales numbers could reach as much as 75,000 units per year. At this level the Macan would represent more than 50 percent of Porsche’s total volume.The Macan should also be Porsche’s most affordable model, with pricing overseas almost certain to start below the Boxster’s starting price (from $107,000 here in Australia). It is possible that the Macan will receive a turbocharged four-cylinder engine as its base option, making it the first modern Porsche to do so. We also expect a range of gasoline V6 engines to be offered, perhaps even a 272kW Macan Turbo model, in addition to a diesel for overseas markets.Key competitors will include the Range Rover Evoque from Land Rover as well as the upcoming X4 from BMW and GLA Class from Mercedes-Benz.www.motorauthority.com