[Editor's note: The photo here is a Cayenne II prototype caught testing two years ago.]
VW Group's design director wants to have more influence on Porsche styling and will start things off by creating a 2-door baby SUV for Porsche called the Cajun.
In an interview at the Paris auto show with industry publication Automotive News, Walter de' Silva, VW Group's design chief, said, "I really hope to be able to add something positive to Porsche's new models, which will remain coherent with the great tradition of Porsche...The Cajun will be the first new Porsche created under my influence."
Porsche's head of design, Michael Mauer, now reports to de' Silva, as do the other design directors at VW's collection of 10 brands.
The 2-door Cajun is expected to debut in 2013 as a 2014 model. It will be smaller than the Q5, with a shorter-wheelbase and standing less tall than that sibling SUV. It will compete against the likes of the BMW X3 (which is a 5-door hatch SUV) and the Range Rover Evoque (which is a 2-door compact SUV).
The rational for a 2-door Cajun is to not cannibalize sales from sister brand Audi's Q5 model - or steal sales from the larger Cayenne model, which is a huge bread-winner for Porsche. But a 2-door compact SUV from Porsche that's supposed to be a baby-Cayenne may just be dissuasive enough to keep buyers away from the Cajun itself.
De' Silva previously worked for Alfa Romeo where he helped design models such as the 147, the 156 and the GTV coupe.
