Rolls-Royce is to begin testing of its new SUV this week ahead of its 2018 launch – with the luxury car manufacturer releasing these pictures of a camouflaged prototype model.
In a statement released today, Rolls-Royce says testing will begin on Friday, with the “Project Cullinan” SUV undergoing cold weather durability and traction testing in the Arctic Circle from early next year.
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It will then head to the Middle East later in 2017 for testing in high temperatures and desert conditions.
“This is an incredibly exciting moment in the development of Project Cullinan both for Rolls-Royce and for the patrons of luxury that follow us around the world,” said Rolls-Royce’s CEO, Torsten Müller-Ötvös.
“Bringing together the new four-wheel drive system and the new ‘architecture of luxury’ for the first time sets us on the road to creating a truly authentic Rolls-Royce which, like its forebears, will reset the standard by which all other luxury goods are judged.”
The firm first announced its “all-terrain, high-sided vehicle” in February 2015, before releasing these pictures of a bizarre Phantom-based test mule.
Project Cullinan is’s expected to have genuine off-road ability to rival a Range Rover, while its price tag could make the £162,000 Bentley Bentayga W12 look affordable.
Underpinning the SUV is a new aluminium architecture which will be used across the entire Rolls-Royce range from 2018.