Eterniti launches London dealership

Eterniti Motors has opened its first dealership, with a site based in North London.

Eterniti will use the Park Royal centre as a base to sell its single model, the Artemis a car it describes as a 'super SUV'.

The Artemis is based on the Porsche Cayenne Turbo S, but has undergone heavy modification to create an extravagantly luxurious 4x4. The result is a 4.8-litre twin-turbo V8 engine that produces 'at least' 600bhp, with a 0-62mph time of just 4.5 seconds.

Eterniti's head of engineering, Alistair Macqueen, said: 'The performance changes are to the exhaust, engine mapping, and boost. We've also lowered the ride height and made it wider in order to lower the centre of gravity.'

It comes with 23-inch wheels as standard, which are shod with much lower profile tyres than the standard Cayenne. Macqueen says the ride is: 'Not limousine-like, but very controlled. It will be suited to cities where the road surfaces are poor.'

The biggest changes are to the interior, where Eterniti says the aim is to provide limousine-like levels of luxury.

The floor mats are made of lambswool, while other surfaces feature natural woods, carbonfibre and soft leathers. The two individual rear seats can be reclined, heated, and cooled. Rear passengers will be able to use the two iPads that are integrated into the back of the front seats, while a drinks cooler and a set of crystal glasses are also on hand.

The car comes with a list price of 252,000, and five orders have already been taken. All five buyers are from China, and Eterniti says it expects the Asian market to account for 90% of its sales.

Eterniti has ambitions to eventually build its own models, with Macqueen saying: 'There will be another SUV, while the end game is a supercar, built from the ground up.'

He also said that future cars will not necessarily be based on existing Porsche models.

By Tom Webster