Eterniti Hemera new luxury SUV

The British carmaker launched at Frankfurt motor show with their first product, an upmarket SUV.

Touted as the world’s first ‘Super-SUV’ – a claim that Porsche’s Cayenne, Audi’s Q7, Maserati’s upcoming Kubang and even Ferrari’s all-wheel drive FF four-seater might challenge – the debut vehicle is due to appear next year in a string of showrooms Eterniti says will sprout around the world.

Despite the major players already in the luxury SUV market, and the others that are sure to join it if the buyers keep flocking in that direction, Eterniti is saying that when the Hemera goes on sale it will ‘provide new levels of luxury, exclusivity and performance in an SUV to create a new niche’.

Based on the same VW group platform program as the Cayenne, the Eterniti will have a lightweight carbon-composite body and the promise of more power from the 4.8-litre twin-turbo V8 engine, with claims of a future 465kW of power – about 100kW more than the Cayenne and Q7 -- and a top speed of more than 290km/h.

Pricing has not been confirmed, but has been suggested at around the equivalent of more than $1.5 million Aussie dollars – before import and onroads costs.

Despite the raiding of VW’s parts bin, London-based Eterniti is an independent company, backed by ‘a group of international investors’. The fledgling carmaker says more vehicles will follow the Hemera.