The Porsche Macan – the baby Cayenne – is to get a new, bold look before it launches in 2014, to make it better able to compete against the Range Rover Evoque.
Having discovered that an SUV could revive their fortunes after they launched the Cayenne a decade ago, the smaller, lower-priced Macan should give both Porsche’s sales and profits a big boost. But Porsche are worried the Macan may not have quite the showroom appeal it needs.
Remarkably, that confession has come from the man in charge of Porsche design – Michael Mauer – who has told Automotive News that he has had a re-think about the design of the Macan after the Range Rover Evoque launched last year.
As a result, Porsche are working to give the Macan a bolder look after Mauer confessed ‘We thought there were some details we could be more daring with’.
Mauer went on to say:
As the person responsible for the look of the cars, I’m not afraid to make changes. When I saw the Evoque, I thought, interesting. I like it. But the Macan will be a real Porsche — the sports car in its segment.
Mauer isn’t saying that Porsche will copy the Range Rover Evoque, but that the Macan – which goes in to production in 2013 for a 2014 launch – will be far bolder as a result of the Evoque.
Who’d have believed, just a few years ago, that Porsche would have to re-evaluate the design of one of their cars because Land Rover has produced such a seminal design?
It’s a brave confession from Mauer, and a huge compliment to Land Rover’s designers.
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