Big thanks extended to BlackOctober of rennteam.com. He took some screen shots off a dvd 'his Porsche source' sent him. Definitley the real deal here though.

To me it looks exactly like an Audi Q5 with some duct tape!

 

Because it is an Audi Q5 with duct tape.

 

and a Porsche badge

 

I like the Audi Q5.

 

Why.

 

it's basically a tiguan, why would they make such a cheap vehicle...

 

so that they can sell it expensive and maximize profit

which in return means money to keep on doing research and development work on rather less profitable branches like the GT cars

 

Looking forward to trying one out. My wife likes smaller SUV's (our X3 is perfect for her) and i have to say, i am surprised at how well it drives.

A smaller "sports" SUV from Porsche would make for a perfect next car. The Cayenne shares the same platform as the Q7 and the Touareg, so if this is as different of a drive as the Cayenne is to its siblings, it should be impressive.

 

This thing is a Q5. from the grill and everything, it's a Q5. Are they going to use the Q5 chassis but different engine and everything else inside?

 

The Macan will use the Q5's platform [which in turn is the VW Group's MLB/MLP platform used on the A4, A5, A6, A7, A8 and Q5], Audi's Quattro four-wheel-drive system and will most likely source multiple engines to power the base petrol and some diesel versions. My guess is that they'll pull the turbo-4 for the base Macan but get a little more power out of it [probably around 220 hp vs the Q5's 211], but they have to maintain a safe distance from the base Cayenne's 300 hp. Seeing how Porsche treats the Boxster/Cayman and the 911, they'll keep a power/performance gap so sales of the more expensive car don't get affected by the smaller one.

The Macan will reportedly use a modified version of the interior of the new 981 Boxster but integrate some elements for some light off-roading, which could prove quite sporty. A rumored key omission will be air suspension, which will be relegated to the Cayenne.

Here are some key differences I noticed in the new mules posted above:
* The first Macan mules we saw were silver Q5s complete with Audi logos at the front and rear, but roll-cages inside, wheel arch extensions and blacked-out Porsche wheels.
* The new photos show the vehicle transitioning to the more characteristic prototype black, black tape has taken over the rear, the Audi logos have been removed, the grille is coming apart and the entire car is looking more raw and taken-apart than the clearly-Q5 first mules.

By the looks of it and with the late 2013 production date on the not-too-distant horizon, it won't be long before Porsche rolls out their heavily camouflaged actual mules of the Macan. That one will more closely resemble the preview sketch we saw last month, have Porsche's new door-mounted mirrors and take on the whole downsized-Cayenne look.

Porschephile88