Rolls-Royce to Reveal Cullinan SUV Soon in Closed-Room Showings

Starting this summer, potential customers can view the upcoming Rolls-Royce Cullinan SUV in special closed-room events. The “high-sided vehicle,” as Rolls-Royce likes to say, has been caught camouflaged on at least a few occasions testing at the Nürburgring and even on the streets of California.

With the Cullinan in its lineup, the automaker hopes to push annual vehicle sales past the 5,000-unit mark–a number that should be easily doable considering the recent surge in SUV sales and that Rolls sold 4,011 units in 2016.

Unlike the Bentley Bentayga and Lamborghini Urus that share the same platform as the Audi Q7, the Cullinan will be built on the automaker’s bespoke aluminum-intensive platform that the new Phantom rides on.

Rolls-Royce CEO Torsten Mueller-Oetvos had a few words about the Rolls SUV’s competitors, saying recently, “We are not using mass-manufactured body shells. That limits what you can do on the design side, and it undermines exclusivity massively. Rolls-Royce customers do not want a camouflaged Audi Q7.”

The Rolls-Royce Cullinan will likely be powered by the same 6.6-liter twin-turbo V-12 found in the new Phantom that produces 563 hp and 664 lb-ft of torque. Like other Rolls-Royce models, the engine might be tuned to produce more power if necessary.

The Cullinan should be unveiled this summer with deliveries beginning in 2019.

Source: Automotive News Europe (Subscrition required)

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