News: Porsche previews Macan SUV ahead of LA motor show

The five-door, five-seat , all-wheel-drive rival to cars such as the Range Rover Evoque and Audi Q5 (whose basic platform it shares), will be powered by a range of V6 petrol and diesel engines. Among them are a choice of 250bhp 3-litre normally aspirated and range-topping 390bhp 3.6-litre turbocharged petrol engines.

In a microsite dedicated to the new car, the manufacturer presents sketches, sneak images and a video designed to whet appetites ahead of the official reveal. First impressions are of a baby Cayenne, although Porsche is quick to nail the idea that the Macan may just be a smaller off-roader. It talks a lot about the new model’s sports car DNA, at one point the video showing the new model tackling a slalom at high speed, as well as bounding across desert dunes.

Reinforcing the notion of the Macan as a sports car rather than a 4×4, Porsche also refers to a feature of the car’s design called the “Porsche flyline”, the car maker’s term for the model’s sporty, sloping roof line.

However, for all the model’s sports car pretensions, the new Macan’s fuel economy and emissions are clearly a source of some pride at Porsche, which gives the official figures some prominence. For the record, fuel consumption ranges from 46.3-30.7mpg, and CO2 emissions from 216-159 g/km.

Following the unexpected success of its larger Cayenne SUV, Porsche is being bullish about the prospects for the smaller, cheaper Macan, forecasting annual worldwide sales of 75,000.

The new model is expected to cost from around £38,000 when it goes on sale in the UK next year.