If a Cajun and a tiger were pitted against each other in the Louisiana swamp, you’d probably end up with big-cat gumbo. But in the executive suite at Porsche headquarters in Stuttgart, the term Macan beat out Cajun for the name of the automaker’s new small SUV.

“The name of a new Porsche has to fit with the brand, sound good in very many languages and dialects and evoke positive associations,” said Bernhard Maier, executive vice president of sales and marketing for Porsche AG. Derived from the Indonesian word for tiger, "Macan" was chosen because it “combines suppleness, power, fascination and dynamics.” The word Cajun, on the other hand, probably makes most people think of Adam Sandler’s goofy character on SNL. Or one of of the disparaging portrayals of the French-speaking people of southwestern Louisiana in movies such as "Southern Comfort."

Besides the name and a short-on-details video, not much else was revealed about the new cute-ute. In addition to Porsche purists grumbling about the further watering down of the brand after the automaker’s successful launch of the Cayenne SUV and Panamera sedan, this much we do know about the Macan:

The first Macans will pounce from the Porsche factory in Leipzig, Germany, in 2013. To crank out the new SUV, the facility is being expanded into a full production plant, including adding a body assembly line and paint shop. Porsche is making a 500 million-euro investment in the plant, one of the largest building projects in its corporate history.

Porsche also said that the addition of the Macan “is a key pillar of the company's Strategy 2018 to expand its model portfolio.” And it makes us wonder what formerly unexplored segment the iconic performance marquee will take on next: wagon or minivan?