The Rolls-Royce SUV mule will be getting a serious workout in the months to come.
Rolls-Royce is plowing plans to put its first SUV on the road – and its giving us a first look at the vehicle it’s developing as part of what it has dubbed Project Cullinan.
The British ultra-luxury brand is just one of the latest manufacturers to adapt to shifting market trends, echoing rival Bentley which launched its own Bentayga sport-utility vehicle earlier this year. With the exception of Ferrari, in fact, all major super-premium brands – including such names as Aston Martin and Lamborghini – intend to roll out utes of their own.
“This is an incredibly exciting moment in the development of Project Cullinan both for Rolls-Royce and for the patrons of luxury that follow us around the world,” said Torsten Müller-Ötvös, Chief Executive Officer of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, in a statement accompanying these two images.
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First announced in mid-2014, Rolls has been sparse with details about Project Cullinan. It has also tried to dissuade journalists from calling the vehicle an SUV – Ian Robertson, the global marketing chief for parent BMW AG preferring “Sport Activity Vehicle.” That’s the same term BMW uses for its own ute line-up.
The results of Project Cullinan should reach Rolls-Royce showrooms in time for the 2019 model-year.
Whatever Rolls wants to call it, the concept vehicle seen here certainly has adopted a classic SUV stance, with an even bolder, more upright body than that of the familiar Phantom sedan. There is, of course, the forward-thrust waterfall grille, but the three side windows are more in line with the layout of the new Bentley Bentayga or even the relatively plebian Cadillac Escalade.
It remains to be seen, of course, whether this is just a working prototype or a clear indication of what’s to come. Many had expected Rolls designers to adopt a more streamlined look with a more fastback tailgate shape.
What Rolls is confirming is that this “first engineering mule” will get a new all-wheel-drive suspension system specifically developed for Cullinan, and one it has previously indicated would give it serious off-road capabilities, rather than just the abilities to creep over gravel and mud.
The chassis, meanwhile, is the same all-aluminum architecture that will be used for the rest of the Rolls-Royce line-up moving forward, including the flagship Phantom. It will be a big step away from the BMW-derived chassis that had been the underpinnings of outgoing Rolls models. It also will help shave weight and improve fuel economy, something even ultra-luxury brands now have to cope with as global government standards tighten.
Bentley beat Rolls to the punch with its Bentayga.
As for powertrains, Rolls could deliver a surprise – as did Bentley, when it announced there would be a plug-in hybrid version of the Bentayga. But the stock engine is widely expected to be the twin-turbo 6.6-liter V-12 now used in the Rolls-Royce Ghost.
(Bentley adds diesel to Bentayga powertrain options. Click Here for more.)
As for timing? The Brits aren’t ready to say. But the news release does reveal the test mule will begin cold weather testing around the Arctic Circle “just after Christmas,” while then adding, “Later in 2017, it will travel to the Middle East to endure the highest of temperatures and challenging desert conditions.”
The general expectation is that the new Rolls-Royce ute will join the line-up as early as the end of 2018 as a 2019 model-year offering. Look for a price somewhere in the range of the latest Phantom, which would push it above the $400,000 mark.
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