2015 Porsche Macan previewed in Malaysia

The 2015 Macan has been previewed by Sime Darby Auto Performance (SDAP), the official distributor, for the company at the Porsche Centre in Damansara, Malaysia. The SUV had made its global debut last year at the 2013 Los Angeles Auto Show and is expected to be launched in Malaysia in September. As Malaysia is a right-hand-drive-market like India, we expect the car to enter the Indian market a short while after its Malaysian launch.

The Porsche Macan is based on the Audi Q5, though Porsche claims that it has reworked more than two-thirds of the architecture to give the car its own character. It borrows several characteristic styling cues from its big brother, the Cayenne, though it manages to look sportier owing to its compact dimensions.

The Porsche Macan was unveiled in three versions, all powered by V6 engines, though it was recently revealed that the German manufacturer, will also offer the SUV with a four-pot motor. All the engines will be mated to Porsche’s seven-speed PDK transmission and a four-wheel-drive system.

The Malaysian market will get all these four variants, and we expect the same for the Indian market. The entry-level four cylinder engine will be priced very competitively and we expect it to be the most popular variant in India.

The Macan is built at Porsche’s Leipzig plant in Germany along with the Cayenne and Panamera and will be imported here as a completely-built-unit (CBU). Despite growing smaller in size, the Macan is priced very close to the Cayenne. Owing to its high price bracket, the Macan is placed in a niche segment and goes up against the top-end Range Rover Evoque and the Mercedes-Benz M-Class.

Source: PaulTan