ROLLS-ROYCE DEBUTSFIRSTSUV

ROLLS-Royce has officially entered off-road territory. The Goodwood-based, Bayerische Motoren Werke AG brand has debuted the US$325,000 (RM1.28 million) Cullinan, its first sport utility vehicle (SUV).

Named after the largest diamond discovered to date, the vehicle is the latest in a long line of six-figure big rigs from the world’s most prestigious carmakers. It is also one of the lastmajor luxury carmakers to add one: In April, Lamborghini unveiled its US$200,000 (RM790,500) Urus; Bentley showed its US$200,000 Bentayga V8 late lastyear.

“Atthis pointin the history of automotive design, SUVs have become homogenous and ubiquitous,” Giles Taylor, Rolls-Royce’s director of design, said.

“The label SUV is now applied to anything with a two-box silhouette and the least suggestion of going off tarmac. (So) we envisioned an authentic, three-box, all-terrain, high-bodied car with a conventionchallenging design and absolute capability thatwould satisfy the adventurous urges of our clients.”

In a series of YouTube videos created with National Geographic, the BMW Group crown jewel has been “tested to destruction” all over the planet. It has been expected to be among the bigger, more stately, luxury SUVs to arrive, but the automaker has released few details since announcing the vehicle three years ago.