Diamond in the Rough
The newest and poshest player in the SUV segment has arrived. The Rolls-royce Cullinan promises to balance its famed Magic Carpet Ride experience with practical off-road capabilities. alethia tiang hops in
the cars built by Charles Stewart Rolls and Frederick Henry Royce have come a long way since 1904. Their Rolls-royce brand epitomises automotive luxury and remains synonymous with the ultra-wealthy all over the world. Furthermore, Rollers are known to pass the test of durability with flying colours.
Think about how TE Lawrence, better known as Lawrence of Arabia, took a fleet of battle-ready Rolls-royce Silver Ghosts to the Arabian Desert in his operations against the Ottoman Turks. Rolls-royces were also used in combat during the Irish Civil War and World War II, while Indian maharajas used to take their Silver Ghosts through jungle trails as they hunted tigers for sport.
The brand-new Rolls-royce Cullinan SUV is another testament to the marque’s history of delivering toughness and off-road ability. “Rolls-royce has a very well-founded pedigree when it comes to off-road capabilities. And now, we’ve designed Cullinan to do specifically that — take it off-road,” says CEO Torsten Müller-ötvös.
Unveiled to the world in midmay, the Cullinan — named after the largest rough diamond ever discovered — is expected to arrive in Asia in the third quarter of the year, with first customer deliveries to begin in 2019.
“Our brand promise when we announced this car three years ago was, it will be ‘Effortless, Everywhere’. We also said it will be the Rolls-royce of SUVS. For that reason, it needs to cater to all these well-known qualities that Rolls-royce is famous for,” the 58-year-old tells Prestige. “But on top of it all is four-by-four capability. This car really allows you to go everywhere you want in the world — in the most effortless manner.”
The Cullinan comes at a time when SUVS are seeing a dramatic rise in global popularity. According to JATO Dynamics, a global supplier of automotive business intelligence, 2017 saw a 2.4-percent growth in car sales from the previous year, with SUVS contributing significantly to the increase. Besides Europe and Latin America, Asia-pacific is one of the key drivers, bolstered by rising sales in India, Thailand, New Zealand and Singapore.
It’s no surprise then, this addition to the brand’s portfolio follows a string of other luxury SUV launches. Lamborghini welcomed the Urus end of last year, while Bentley and Maserati released the Bentayga and Levante respectively in 2016. Upcoming is the Aston Martin DBX, which was announced in 2015 and goes into production next year.
The Cullinan, emphasises a confident Müller-ötvös, sets the benchmark for ultimate luxury. “This car sits on its own platform. It’s not using any bodies or materials from massmanufactured cars and transformed into a socalled luxury proposition,” he shares. “This is truly luxury and truly unique.”
As such, this Roller holds the all-familiar look and feel of the brand’s cars. It sits on the same “architecture of luxury”, a proprietary all-aluminium construction featured in the 2017 Phantom. It sports the same stature, with striking grille and signature rectangular lights, and is topped with the Spirit of Ecstasy on the bonnet. The cabin, too, speaks of luxury with materials and design to achieve the right level of comfort and acoustics.
With the Cullinan, the challenge, according to Giles Taylor, director of design at Rolls-royce, was “to match this absolute luxurious world — perfect craftsmanship, absolute comfort and wellbeing on the interior — with this more hostile world.” So though built to conquer rough terrain, it also has the poise and elegance required for the red carpet. “No one else can do that. But Rolls-royce can.” It was even tested on the toughest of terrains: On gravel roads, mud tracks, snow banks and sand dunes in the US, Scotland and United Arab Emirates.
“The Cullinan’s new V12 twinturbocharged engine provides all the power (563bhp to be exact) necessary for effortless on-road cruising, or for power-hungry progress across the roughest terrain,” Caroline Krismer, engineering project leader for the Cullinan, points out. “The car helps you to drive itself, even on snow in winter or in the desert in the summertime.”
Its also crafted with the many features associated with SUVS today — electronically foldable rear seats and 560 litres of boot space that can be increased to 600, as well as advanced driving technology such as Night Vision and Vision Assist, Active Cruise Control, Collision Warning, and the latest navigation and entertainment systems.
This car, reveals Müller-ötvös, fits what customers in Asia want and love from a Rolls-royce. “It gives you presence. It gives you a nice surround feel in the car. It gives you ample space in the interior, not only in the back but also in the front.”
The automaker takes the definition of luxury even further. Include the option of a retractable picnic table and leather chairs, and your boot will even transform into an outdoor dining lounge — perfect for relaxing and taking in an exhilarating polo match, or enjoying time with loved ones at a lake or park.
Müller-ötvös sums it up best: “It is truly the Rolls-royce of SUVS.”
Watch our exclusive interview with CEO Torsten Müller-ötvös on Prestigeonline.com.