Rolls Royce to produce an SUV - Cullinan
- Thread starter AudiMan2011
- 113 comments
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SestoScudo
(Banned)
- 3,000
- Australia
- Decepticon 47
Another SUV?? What is going on!
- 13,145
- Seattle-ish
People are buying them.
- 17,106
- United Kingdom
Porsche are now primarily an SUV manufacturer, Bentley are now primarily an SUV production, Lamborgh.... oh, no, the Urus doesn't seem to be selling that quickly yet.
Gotta give the people what they want!
- 11,805
- Marin County
A Rolls should be Stately. That's kind of the whole ethos. I think they've missed it a bit. The side proportions especially just aren't right....it looks almost Jeepish. The front doesn't have near the presence of the mighty Phantom.
The Phantom's interior is also in a different league compared to the Cullinan.
This car absolutely makes sense for Rolls Royce, but I think they've missed the mark.
The Phantom's interior is also in a different league compared to the Cullinan.
This car absolutely makes sense for Rolls Royce, but I think they've missed the mark.
- 10,818
- Plymouth, UK
- motorforum
A Rolls should be Stately. That's kind of the whole ethos. I think they've missed it a bit. The side proportions especially just aren't right....it looks almost Jeepish. The front doesn't have near the presence of the mighty Phantom.
The Phantom's interior is also in a different league compared to the Cullinan.
This car absolutely makes sense for Rolls Royce, but I think they've missed the mark.
That looks more like an imposing SUV than their SUV!
- 23,921
- It/It
- GTP_TheCracker
Robin
Premium
- 16,799
- United Kingdom
The interior really seems unimpressive and somewhat on the cheap side, or rather the cheap looking side. Buttons, switchgear, layout etc all look kinda tacky, lots of BMW parts bin components just dressed up in chrome and leather. I'm actually surprised at how average SUV it all looks, seems no different from something a quarter the price. Other Rolls Royce models past and present are much better and compared to the Bentayga's interior it doesn't really compete. Bad inside and out then
McLaren
Premium
- 45,418
- Texas
The interior really seems unimpressive and somewhat on the cheap side, or rather the cheap looking side. Buttons, switchgear, layout etc all look kinda tacky, lots of BMW parts bin components just dressed up in chrome and leather. I'm actually surprised at how average SUV it all looks, seems no different from something a quarter the price. Other Rolls Royce models past and present are much better and compared to the Bentayga's interior it doesn't really compete. Bad inside and out then
I'd chalk these luxury SUVs as just money makers. Porsche set an impressive bar with its "family" SUVs now helping fund the GT cars because they sell so many of them. I believe Lamborghini plans to do the same with the Urus with the success of the V10 models' introduction finally building hefty profits to the company, and I'm sure the Bentayga isn't much different.
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McLaren
Premium
- 45,418
- Texas
I never said anything of the sort.
Whether they compromise or not, doesn't change the fact they're built to get into a more popular market; SUV & trucks accounted for 65+% of US sales last years.
https://www.automobilemag.com/news/u-s-auto-sales-totaled-17-25-million-calendar-2017/
The Bentayga already nearly matches the rest of Bentley's line up combined in sales. The Macan/Cayenne outsell everything; the former outsells the 911 3:1. You can find a similar trend in other manufacturers; Jaguar's F-Pace was the top seller, up 89% over the previous year.
Lamborghini has been on an uphill in production for 7 years and fully expects the Urus to contribute even more. Rolls Royce sales were 3,362 last year, down 16%. I'm confident the Cullinan will boost those numbers back up, though admittedly, the next gen Phantom sales will be helping as well. Unfortunately, neither Lambo or Rolls breaks down numbers by models, so it'll be difficult to place what car is contributing what percentage of sales. Will have to wait til' the next annual reports are out.
But, SUVs sell & the general market is more than willing to spend big money for a luxury manufacturers' SUV these days over their other models due to the views that a SUV can do it all.
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- 12,389
- Betelgeuse
- Beeblebrox_237
It looks nice, and I mean that in the worst possible way. It looks perfectly nice, but it doesn't look special, or interesting, or particularly expensive. The Phantom has style and flair, and this just looks like someone decided that the Range Rover was too unique and distinctive. I'm sure it drives incredibly well, and I'm sure it comes across better when you can touch and manipulate all the controls and surfaces. However, I'm in agreement with @McLaren that the selling point of it isn't the fact that it feels amazing, but rather the fact that it's an SUV. It's almost like Rolls Royce didn't bother to make it interesting because they knew that a great deal of its buyers wouldn't care all that much anyway.
So if you can't tell, I'm pretty underwhelmed.
So if you can't tell, I'm pretty underwhelmed.
- 4,019
- Riga
The interior really seems unimpressive and somewhat on the cheap side, or rather the cheap looking side. Buttons, switchgear, layout etc all look kinda tacky, lots of BMW parts bin components just dressed up in chrome and leather. I'm actually surprised at how average SUV it all looks, seems no different from something a quarter the price. Other Rolls Royce models past and present are much better and compared to the Bentayga's interior it doesn't really compete. Bad inside and out then
When I watched this video I was very unimpressed and I think it looks cheap mostly on the outside and parts of the interior and I think its very avarge I think the Porsche Cayenne would be a better choice.
- 17,106
- United Kingdom
Yeah, I get all that, what I'm getting at is why define them as "just" money makers? It's a product that could arguable be better at delivering Rolls-Royce brand values than most of its other models. Yeah, it's an easy business case, but it's less of a sell out than Porsche or Lamborghini.
Rolls-Royce figures are available on a quarterly basis, Q2 is out on Thursday, though I don't expect Cullinan will feature.
Q1 was as follows:
Phantom 125
Ghost 233
Wraith / Dawn 449
Rolls-Royce total 807
Out of curiosity, do you find the Ghost special, interesting, or particularly expensive looking? I mean, I agree, it doesn't look as special as the Phantom, but then the Phantom is Rolls-Royce's flagship, the Cullinan is not - I wouldn't expect them to be directly comparable.
- 12,389
- Betelgeuse
- Beeblebrox_237
I do. I don't think it's particularly interesting but I do think it's both more special and more expensive-looking than the Cullinan. Some of it is down to the vast, undecorated expanses of bodywork, glass, and leather that the Cullinan features as a byproduct of its size and shape, and quite a lot of it is the proportions it seems to share with the LEVC TX. The Cullinan, in a way, looks to me like a Ghost that's been made bigger and a lot taller. However, all the interior details and switchgear remained the same size, and the exterior seems to have lost some of the elegance and detailing in the vast size of it all. The Ghost has almost perfect proportions to my eye, which really accentuate the simple lines and measured details. The Cullianan, in a strange way, reminds me of the first generation Jeep Grand Cherokee, in that it's simultaneously trying to big, square, and a little imposing in the brand's own way; look a bit luxurious; and be practical by taking up as much space as its footprint allows.
I know you love BMWs and I'm not attacking you, but I am attacking the Cullinan because I don't like it.
- 17,106
- United Kingdom
I've got no problem with people not liking it at all (I might question feeling the need to attack something because you don't like it, but that's probably a question for another topic).
I am passionate about BMW, doesn't mean I love all BMW's, or BMW Group products though. It may be down to the awful colour combo's they keep showing the car in, but I'm not that enamored with the Cullinan myself - so I certainly don't mean to come across as defensive over it*.
I agree proportionally it's a bit odd - the shorter rear coach doors have a negative impact on the profile of the vehicle - an EWB Cullinan might be a much better looking thing, IMHO. Aside from that, I have a small issue with the execution of the front lights... I made this previously but it demonstrates where I feel there was a weakness around the headlamps:
I asked the question about the Ghost because, proportions aside, it's a far more direct comparison than something like the flagship Phantom - which unfortunately for the Cullinan seems to be the car most people are comparing it to. "I prefer the 7 series to the X5", or "I prefer the 918 to the Cayenne", might be similarly true, but somewhat unbalanced comparisons.
*There are certain critiques made of car interiors specifically that I find lazy and useless, such as 'looks cheap' or not 'special' enough.
- 12,389
- Betelgeuse
- Beeblebrox_237
I really like that render, actually. It looks a lot more delicate and more subtle, and makes the car as a whole look less like a box on wheels.
