To say that your new model is “like an SUV version of the M5” is quite a bold statement -especially if you are a brand-new manufacturer, with no previous record and you intend to compete at the high end of the market.

Nevertheless, that’s exactly what Alastair Mcqueen, chief engineer of London-based Eterniti Motors, which made its existence known at the 64th Frankfurt Motor Show, says about the brand’s first model, the Hemera.

The Hemera is based on the Porsche Cayenne Turbo S, but it’s not your normal tuning job, just as Eterniti is not your normal tuning house.

First of all, it’s a boutique British carmaker with a total of 12 employees that for its best model “borrowed the best large SUV platform available”, i.e. the Cayenne. The Frankfurt-launched concept sported a modified chassis and interior as well as changes to the drivetrain.

The roof and the pillars are kept unchanged but everything else is redesigned with an extensive use of carbonfiber parts. Inside, the rear seats were moved back 120 mm offering improved space for passengers –but since the wheelbase remains the same, it has had a negative effect on the trunk.

Mcqueen’s claim about the “M5 of SUVs” is not just based on the 600HP churned out by the turbocharged V8, but also to the tuning of the suspension and the right height.

The production version of this “super SUV”, as it is billed by its creators, will make its debut at the 2012 Beijing Motor Show next April, since it is primarily aimed at the Chinese market, although the company plans dealerships also in Hong Kong and the UK.

The SUV will probably have a different name, though, and will be produced in limited numbers: just 80 cars in 2012, 150 in 2013 and 200 from 2014 onwards.

The interesting part, though, is that Eterniti is not restricting its activities to modifying the Cayenne. It has already announced that it is developing a supercar, without providing any additional info though about on which model it will be based, saying only that “it’s coming soon”, and is currently contemplating adding a third model to its range, most likely another SUV.

Story References: Car Magazine

PHOTO GALLERY