Porsche exec confirms Macan Diesel for US

Wed, 15 Oct 2014

The idea of a diesel-powered Porsche is the sort of thing that sounds really, really weird... until you actually drive it. The result of sticking glow plugs under the hood of Stuttgart's finest, though, is a vehicle that's nearly as entertaining as a gas-powered model but with much more torque and better fuel economy. Considering that, we think it's absolutely splendid news that following previous reports, Porsche has now confirmed a diesel-powered Macan for the US market.

"We are now busy with the development and the engineering," Andre Oosthuizen, Porsche's North American marketing VP, told Automotive News. "I can confirm that V6 diesel offering with about 245 horsepower."

Yep, that's the same 3.0-liter V6 found, most notably, in the CUV's Audi Q5 platform-mate as well as a plethora of other Volkswagen Group vehicles, both in the US and abroad. Stuttgart already offers the 3.0-liter oil-burner in the Euro-spec crossover, where it churns out 258 hp and 427 pound-feet of torque.

As for the rumored four-cylinder Macan, we shouldn't count on that one for the US, with Oosthuizen pointing to the limited production capacity.

"We don't have enough capacity," the exec told AN, "so it's probably the Macan S and Turbo and then our next priority will be the diesel."

Oosthuizen pointed to the 2014 Los Angeles Auto Show as a possible destination for the diesel's debut, where it may be announced with a starting price under $60,000. Of course, as we all know, that figure means very little when we're talking about Porsche's options catalog.

What are your thoughts? Would you consider a diesel-powered Macan were you in the market? Speak out in Comments.

By Brandon Turkus