＊Image source: Porsche Japan official website, “Porsche The new Macan”

The First Production Macan Rolls Off the Line

On August 30, Porsche announced that the first production model of the new Macan had been completed.

The Macan debuted at the Los Angeles Auto Show in fall 2013 as a compact SUV positioned below the Cayenne. It went on sale the following year, in 2014, and has since grown into a hugely popular model, with more than 350,000 sold worldwide.

Now, the first example of the updated second-generation Macan has rolled off the production line at Porsche’s factory in Leipzig, Germany. (Two-door models are built at Porsche’s headquarters in Stuttgart, while four-door models such as the Panamera, Macan, and Cayenne are built in Leipzig.)

The New Macan’s Exterior

The new Macan comes standard with the latest LED headlights.

They look like they’ll light up the road for miles. Look closely, and you’ll spot a PORSCHE logo inside the lights, too. (I checked the headlights on our Panamera and found a logo in there as well.)

At the rear, like the latest Panamera and Cayenne, the new Macan gets a redesigned light bar that spans the width of the vehicle, along with four-point brake lights.

The New Macan’s Interior

The dashboard has also been substantially redesigned, and the larger touchscreen on the center console is easier to use.

You can also opt for a GT Sport steering wheel. Choose the Sport Chrono Package, and the steering wheel comes with a mode switch and Sport Response button.

Porsche says that, in developing the new Macan, it improved comfort while maintaining stability and delivering even better driving performance than the previous model. The new Macan is set to be built at a rate of 420 vehicles a day starting in early September, and rumors point to a Japanese launch as early as late 2018 or early 2019.

I wrote about the new Macan’s world premiere in Shanghai this July in an earlier article.

→ Related: The New Macan Unveiled at Its Shanghai World Premiere—What’s Changed?

Porsche’s YouTube channel has also posted a video showing the new Macan’s exterior and part of its interior. It’s a very different concept from the videos for the 911 and Panamera—almost un-Porsche-like in a way, and refreshingly different.

＊The new Porsche Macan. Exterior design.

I’d love to take the Macan for a test drive once it reaches Japan. Then again, I haven’t driven the new Cayenne yet either, so I’m hoping to get behind the wheel of that one soon, too.

＊Source: “Porsche Macan Facelift: First Production Model Rolls Off the Line”