It hasn’t been a particularly well-kept secret, but Rolls-Royce confirmed today that it will officially name its new car “Cullinan”.
Cullinan becomes the fifth car in the ever-expanding Rolls-Royce portfolio. It joins the Wraith, Phantom, Dawn and Ghost, and will be the brand’s first ever four-wheel drive vehicle.
The new vehicle will sit on the newest Rolls-Royce aluminum space-frame, along with the new Phantom. It’ll come in at over 18 feet long, wearing a traditional SUV-style body and rivaling the Bentley Bentayga.
But Rolls-Royce itself doesn’t refer to the Cullinan as an SUV. That’s despite the SUV body, the four-wheel drive system and the numerous press shots of the car doing SUV things like driving on snow and tackling a muddy hill. And the product tagline, which is “Effortless, Everywhere”.
No, the Cullinan is merely a “High Bodied Vehicle”. We’re not sure that one’s going to catch on…
Torsten Müller-Ötvös, chief executive officer of Rolls-Royce, explained the name:
It is the most fitting name for our extraordinary new product. Cullinan is a motor car of such clarity of purpose, such flawless quality and preciousness, and such presence that it recalibrates the scale and possibility of true luxury. Just like the Cullinan Diamond, the largest flawless diamond ever found, it emerges when it is perfect and exists above all others.
At launch it’s likely that the Cullinan will use the same engine as the Phantom. That means a 6.75-liter V12 good for 563hp and 664lbft, paired to an eight-speed automatic gearbox. Rolls-Royce is likely to offer a choice of wheelbases too, as with the Phantom.
Rolls-Royce is yet to confirm pricing or specification for the Cullinan. We’ll know more nearer to its late-2018 launch date.
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