A luxury SUV manufactured in Italy, priced at 1 million euros (1.5 million dollars), made its worldwide public debut in Dubai this week, where the company also confirmed its first sale to a UAE entrepreneur.
Aznom Palladium Overview:
The Aznom Palladium is an extravagant six-meter-long all-terrain limousine, a super-luxurious vehicle loosely based on the Ram 1500 Limited pickup truck. It is dismantled and reconstructed as a luxurious four-seater all-terrain sedan.
Inspired by the specially designed armored limousine that transports the U.S. president during visits to New York, Aznom CEO Marcello Meregalli decided to create his interpretation of the presidential Cadillac and offer it for sale, with a focus on the Middle East.
“I didn’t expect the president’s Cadillac to be so large. We’ve worked for other brands in the automotive industry, and I always wanted to do something that doesn’t focus on the standard Italian two-seat supercar concept doing 300 km/h. So, when I saw ‘The Beast,’ I thought we could do something similar,” said Meregalli.
“We chose the United Arab Emirates to reveal the Palladium due to the car’s dimensions and utilization. I believe this is the best region for a vehicle of this type. It will be limited to a maximum of 10, so we can’t sell it everywhere, and I think focusing on the GCC, where there is ample space and better fuel prices, makes it the best region in the world for a car of this type.”
Performance and Modifications:
Using the flagship RAM 1500 Limited as a base, Aznom replaced its 5.7-liter V8 with a modified version of the TRX performance engine, now featuring twin turbochargers and reinforced to 6.4 liters.
It delivers 634 kW and 1050 Nm of torque, expected to achieve a performance close to four seconds to 100 km/h with a top speed near 250 km/h.
Other mechanical adjustments include two water-to-air intercoolers, custom H-beam steel connecting rods, reinforced nimonic valve springs, a rebalanced camshaft and driveshaft, and custom head gasket, bearings, and fuel injectors.
It operates through a reinforced eight-speed automatic transmission and an all-wheel-drive system starting with rear-wheel drive but capable of switching to automatic four-wheel drive or four-wheel drive with lockable differentials, including a shorter ratio for heavy-duty off-roading.
“The RAM is the best for making such a large car because you can’t find another body-on-frame chassis that is so large, and all the electronics are also completely new. We’ve reinforced the chassis with a roll cage, and we’ve completely changed the dynamic parts of the suspension and brakes,” added Meregalli.
Now sitting 30 mm lower, it rides on new shock absorbers exclusively made for the Palladium that can operate in 30 different configurations. Ventilated front discs measuring 408 x 34 mm are paired with six-piston Brembo calipers, with four-piston calipers working on 380 x 28 mm discs at the rear.
“You can upgrade to the carbon-ceramic brakes that we’ve made in collaboration with Carbon Brake, and as expected for a car of this size, they are the world’s largest carbon-ceramic brake discs, measuring 450 mm and sitting in 10-piston calipers,” said Mr. Meregalli.
Meregalli added that the limited run of 10 cars is because it takes eight months to build each car, giving it a production lifespan of almost seven years.
“We started the design process at the end of 2018 and defined all the design requirements by the end of 2019, so now we’re ready to start making the first panels for the production models.”
The Monza-based company is working in collaboration with Turin’s Camal design studio under the direction of chief designer Matteo Bertinelli.
“The idea was to make a very large car that doesn’t look so big when you see it parked alone. It’s not until it’s parked next to another car that you notice the size,” said Bertinelli.
With a length of 5960 mm and a height of 1971 mm, it is undoubtedly the largest four-door sedan on the road, originating from one of the largest SUV trucks on the market.
“We had to respect some basic points, so the A, B, and C pillars are the same, but we could play with the rear of the car. Back then, we had more freedom, so we removed the pickup part and started from scratch to create something special,” added Bertinelli.
“The trunk opens like a drawer because I wanted to create something different but very practical. Sliding out makes it easier to reach items in the back, and you can adapt it to what you need, whether it’s carrying camping gear or even a wedding dress.
“We were more limited in the front, but we wanted to increase the size, so I added 15 cm from the Ram to emphasize the car’s size.”
With expertise in custom-made leathers supplying bespoke luggage for people like Pagani, Aznom has gone to town with an interior that even eclipses the largest Rolls-Royce for its size.
Two individual reclining seats with foot support occupy the rear, separated by a refrigerator with a sliding bar cabinet for drinks with crystal glasses. Rear seat occupants sit well back in the C-pillar area behind the door for better privacy and protection but can still look through the tiny, slender windows.
The car is named after the rare and precious mineral palladium, widely used in jewelry and also in the expensive removable watch mounted between the seats.
A Controller Area Network (CAN) works simultaneously with the main electronic system for the car’s transmission and mechanics but remains independent to allow passengers to control all comfort functions from small screens mounted on each door.
While the driver’s screen controls the locks and all windows, as well as the refrigerator temperature, drawers, cabin lighting, front air conditioning, and access to the hidden compartment, rear passengers operate an independent set of features for their seats, including their air conditioning, seat adjustments, windows, and access to the refrigerator and showcases.
The Palladium is the first of four cars coming from Aznom Automotive, with three more on the drawing board that are light-years away from the giant SUV concept.
The next Aznom Serpas is based on the Rapture SL manufactured by Radical, a UK specialist in sports cars, as a replacement for the successful SR3 track car.
It will be followed by the hardtop Serpas coupe that will come from a Lotus Emira starting point, and these will be topped by the Aznom DolceVita, which is more of a grand touring (GT) car using the AMG chassis and likely adapted from a Mercedes SLC donor.
