Marque opts for hard road
In an open letter, the CEO and chairman of Rolls-Royce have announced plans for a super luxury SUV
IT CAME as no surprise when RollsRoyce Motor Cars announced that the company is developing a super luxury SUV. Everyone else is doing it so why not Rolls? Bentley will unveil its Bentayga later this year and Maserati and Lamborghini have already shown concepts of their respective offerings.
What was surprising is that the announcement came in the form of an open letter from the company’s chairman Peter Schwarzenbauer and its CEO Torsten Mueller-Oetvoes.
“The launch of Phantom in 2003 marked the beginning of the renaissance of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. Since then, we have set a new benchmark for what a super luxury car should be — unique, hand-crafted, beautiful and rare. Often imitated, Phantom has never been equalled and continues to be hailed as ‘the Best Car in the World’ by customers and media alike.
“Twelve years later, after the introduction of successful new models like Ghost and Wraith, Rolls-Royce stands proudly at the pinnacle of British luxury manufacturing, confirming our custodianship of this precious marque.
“Now we have reached another seminal moment in Rolls-Royce’s 111-year journey. Today we confirm that we are developing an all-new Rolls-Royce with exceptional presence, elegance and purpose:
A car that offers the luxury of a RollsRoyce in a vehicle that can cross any terrain.
A car that meets our customers’ highly mobile, contemporary lifestyle expectations.
A Rolls-Royce that is as much about the pioneering, adventurous spirit of Charles Rolls as it is about Sir Henry Royce’s dedication to engineering and innovation.
A car that appropriately reflects RollsRoyce’s brand promise of effortless luxury.
A high-bodied car, with an all-new aluminium architecture.
A unique new motor car worthy of carrying the Spirit of Ecstasy into the future.
“This new Rolls-Royce will be effortless, everywhere. Many discerning customers have urged us to develop this new car — and we have listened. At Rolls-Royce Motor Cars we are uniquely focused on the desires of our customers and are driven by our own thirst to innovate. So we challenged our engineers and design team, led by director of design Giles Taylor, to create a different and exceptional new car.
“This car will embody all the values and capabilities that drove our two founding fathers to secure Rolls-Royce’s reputation, early last century, by taking top honours in rigorous overland adventures such as the Scottish Reliability Trials, the London to Edinburgh event and the Alpine Trials.
“Rolls-Royces conveyed pioneers and adventurers like Lawrence of Arabia across the vastness of unexplored deserts and over mountain ranges. In other parts of the world including Australia, India and the Americas, Rolls-Royces carried their owners over challenging terrain with absolute reliability and comfort.
“History sets our precedent and our future calls us to action.
“This new journey begins now. We will take our time in developing and perfecting this new concept in luxury. We will include our customers, enthusiasts and media along the way and will keep you informed of our progress.
“Until then, rest assured, we are creating a motor car in the greatest traditions of our marque. Sir Henry Royce famously said: ‘When it does not exist, design it.’ We are doing just that.”
There has always been something of a challenge in taking a Roller off-road. A few years ago a South African couple drove a Silver Spirit II from London to Cape Town with the only real upgrade being to the suspension and the fitting of steel wheels with more off-road capable tyres. In the Middle East, Rolls-Royces have even been used as desert playthings with a number of modifications and that market will be key to any success for the new model.
Not surprisingly there are a number of design impressions on the internet already, some less than flattering to the brand. We suspect we will have to wait until later this year before we see anything official come out of the company.