The Rolls-Royce Cullinan has been snapped again on the roads of Munich, this time wearing less camouflage than ever before. Dubbed 'project Cullinan' and likely to use that name for production, this is the British luxury brand's first high-riding model.
In its press release Rolls-Royce says that the Cullinan is officially set to be "assessed on public roads in various locations around the world". The testing phase will ensure the SUV still "delivers Rolls-Royce's trademark 'magic-carpet' ride on a variety of surfaces and that it is resilient to extreme weather conditions".
Rolls-Royce confirmed development of an all-new aluminium architecture for the Cullinan earlier this year. An all-new suspension system is being primed for the production Cullinan too, alongside the all-wheel-drive system. In a direct dig at Bentley, which is describing its new Bentayga as the "best SUV in the world", Rolls-Royce boss Torsten Muller-Otvos said, “The Bentley SUV is clearly the number two; Rolls-Royce is the best in the world and will be when our model arrives. We will bring a great new car, and an authentic Rolls-Royce into the market.”
If the Bentayga's initial success is anything to go by, there's no doubt this could be the strongest-selling Rolls-Royce in recent years, if not ever. But don't expect the brand to adopt a mass-market pricing strategy – this is still very much a bespoke, hand-made car and the price will definitely reflect that.
