Beijing Show: Eterniti out to beat the big guns

BOUTIQUE British brand Eterniti plans to beat Lamborghini and Bentley to the punch by releasing its Artemis luxury SUV in mid-2012, before the big VW-owned brands unleash their models on the market in the coming years.

The London-based car-maker unveiled what it describes as the world’s first “super-SUV” in the form of the Porsche Cayenne-based Artemis at the Beijing Auto Show this week.

Eterniti is using the super-SUV tag to differentiate the Artemis from other luxury SUVs, claiming it has a level of luxury and performance not currently met by its competitors.

The Artemis is the latest luxury SUV to be revealed in recent weeks after Bentley showed its controversial EXP 9 F in Geneva in March and Lamborghini unveiled the wild Urus SUV concept in Beijing.

Maserati previously revealed plans for a Jeep-based, Ferrari-powered Kubang SUV, but Aston Martin recently shelved plans to re-launch the Lagonda brand with an SUV.

Starting up in 2011, Eterniti is an independent British car company based in London that markets itself as a producer of exclusive luxury cars with hopes of selling them across the globe.

The Artemis, which started life as the Hemera concept at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September last year, is based on the same platform as the Cayenne but gets some distinctive design elements such as a larger grille, more aggressive front end and rear air outlets.

Power comes from Porsche’s 4.8-litre twin-turbo V8, which has been tuned to produce an extra 37kW at some 441kW, which Eterniti claims can propel the vehicle from 0-100km/h in just 4.5 seconds.

To push the sports angle, the British company has engaged former Formula One Grand Prix driver Johnny Herbert to assist with product development and test driving.

With its Cayenne pedigree, the Artemis is designed to be a serious driver’s car, but Eterniti believes that many buyers will elect to be chauffeured around by a driver given the extent of luxury touches.

The rear seat has up to 100mm of additional legroom over the Cayenne and features twin reclining rear seats with heating and cooling, iPad holders and a drinks chiller to keep a bottle of Dom Perignon at just the right temperature.

The cabin is fitted out in high-quality materials including Italian leather for the seats and lambswool rugs on the floor.

Standard equipment includes a glass sunroof or full-length glass panoramic roof, a heated steering wheel and a communication management and navigation system.

The Eterniti Artemis is priced from £210,000 ($A329,000) in the UK, but it is unlikely to be available in Australia.