By Nat Shirley
Monday, Sep 12th, 2011 @ 1:45 pm

Last month, a concise and cryptic announcement from Eterniti Motors signaled that the company would make its public debut at the upcoming Frankfurt Motor Show with a new luxury SUV known as the Hemera.

Though that message revealed little about the Hemera, the London based boutique automaker recently several images along with new information concerning the vehicle, which it refers to as a “Super SUV.”

According to Eterniti, the Hemera will be built on a heavily modified version of “the best large SUV platform available,” with improvements including a repackaged interior, carbon-composite body panels and upgraded performance. Based on the images and the automaker’s claims for sterling on and off-road performance, we’re going to state the obvious and go on record saying the vehicle will be based on the Porsche Cayenne.

Eterniti claims that the Hemera will make 620 horsepower, a figure that seems entirely possible from Porsche’s twin-turbo 4.8-liter V8 with increased boost and fortified internals (the last Cayenne Turbo S made 550 ponies).

According to the nascent company, the Hemera will be an immensely versatile vehicle, with “compact dimensions, four by four ruggedness and dynamic performance,” while also offering a “limousine-like rear cabin, including twin reclining seats, iPads and a drinks chiller, giving customers the option of being chauffeured as well as driving.”

Eterniti has put together an impressive development team for the new SUV. The head of engineering for the project is Alastair Macqueen, who was responsible for the development of the Jaguar XJ220 supercar and also has victories at the 24 hours of Le Mans with both Jaguar and Bentley on his resume. Also on board is racing driver Johnny Herbert, who also has a win at Le Mans in addition to grabbing the top spot in three Grands Prix races during a 10-year Formula 1 career. Herbert will serve as an ambassador for the brand and also have an “active involvement” in developing Eterniti vehicles.

Eterniti is in the process of establishing a London hub featuring a showroom, car build and service center, and a separate atelier where customers can discuss their requirements and create a bespoke specification for their cars, which will be hand-built on site by British craftsmen and technicians. The London facilities will open later this year, with further showrooms in key international cities to follow from 2012.

Meanwhile, the Hemera is slated to go into production in 2012. Pricing is estimated to start around $250,000.

Check back tomorrow for more info and pictures of the Hemera.

Related Articles

left
right
  

LeftLane

Login

  • LeftLane

    Copyright © 2005 - 2012 Left lane News.
    All rights reserved.