Effortless Everywhere: The Rolls-Royce Cullinan

Today, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars revealed the most anticipated car of 2018 and quite possibly, the most anticipated Rolls-Royce of all time. Named after the largest diamond ever discovered which now resides in the British Crown Jewels, Cullinan is an all-terrain, high-bodied car that makes the idea of authentic, luxury off-road travel a reality for the first time. Luxury travel is now Effortless, Everywhere.

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“The super-luxury lifestyle is evolving and Rolls-Royce is in the lead. Luxury is no longer an urban concept. More and more it is about embracing and experiencing the wider world. Our customers expect to go everywhere in luxury, effortlessly and without compromise, conquering the most challenging terrain to enjoy life’s most enriching experiences, wherever they may be. For this reason, they have asked us to create a Rolls-Royce that offers uncompromised luxury wherever they dare to venture. Cullinan is that car. It is Effortless, Everywhere.” - Torsten Müller-Ötvös, Chief Executive Officer, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars.

The second new Rolls-Royce to sit on the all-new aluminium ‘Architecture of Luxury,’ Cullinan is the most technologically advanced, and only purpose-built, luxury SUV in the world. Tested to destruction all over the planet, Cullinan is an incredibly capable off-roader that sees the development of the ‘Magic Carpet Ride’ for off-road enjoyment, without sacrificing any Rolls-Royce on-road behaviour.

Contemporary and functional design ensures Cullinan gains iconic status in the face of increasingly bland SUV designs. Cullinan is the first “three-box” offer in the SUV-sector. With the individual seating configuration, customers have the option of a unique glass partition wall that creates a distinct environment for passengers, separated from the luggage compartment. The most practical of Rolls-Royces, Cullinan is the most versatile, family-oriented, fun-to-drive super-luxury SUV available today. Cullinan offers a suite of Bespoke features developed specifically for the many various lifestyles of its owners including the Viewing Suite and multiple options for a ‘Bespoke Recreation Module.’

Introduction

When Rolls-Royce announced three years ago that it would launch Cullinan, it did so in the knowledge that its customers around the world had asked it to build “The Rolls-Royce of SUVs,” with luxury, performance and usability not seen before in the SUV market. Many of these customers were younger, very successful high-net-worth individuals who are heavily engaged in the experience economy, and wanted a Rolls-Royce that would take them to the ends of the Earth in ultimate luxury.

Automotive mobility has always been a fast-moving and dynamic business, with new concepts – such as SUVs – appearing with great regularity. But those new concepts need to be perfected in order to be adopted by those customers who will accept no compromise – the patrons of true luxury. Hence the Rolls-Royce Cullinan.

Authentic Rolls-Royce engineering – everywhere

“The proposition of this car is an engineering masterpiece, its off-road capability, whilst maintaining the world-famous ‘Magic Carpet Ride’ of Rolls-Royce,” comments Müller-Ötvös. “When we began engineering this car, these were the guiding principles.”

Key to the creation of the Rolls-Royce Cullinan SUV was the Architecture of Luxury – Rolls-Royce’s proprietary all-aluminium architecture.

The Architecture of Luxury really comes into its own in creating Cullinan. The engineering team behind Cullinan adapted the Architecture of Luxury to the design template of a high-bodied car laid down by Giles Taylor and his design team thanks to its innate adaptability.

It was designed and engineered from the ground up in such a way as to be scalable to the size and weight requirements of different future Rolls-Royce models, including those with different propulsion, traction and control systems, thus underpinning the long-term future product roadmap.

The all-new aluminium sub-structure delivers extraordinary car body stiffness for exceptional 'best-in-class' functional performance on rough terrain whilst offering better ride comfort. The component parts of the base architecture were reconfigured into a spaceframe that was higher and shorter whilst also delivering a completely new feature never seen before on a series production Rolls-Royce – a tailgate.

“The drivetrain system we engineered for Cullinan had one key job to do,” explains Caroline Krismer, Engineering Project Leader for Cullinan. “To bring the famed Rolls-Royce ‘Magic Carpet Ride’ to all other terrains possible, while ensuring class-leading on-road behaviour in the SUV sector.” The integration of new technologies into the architecture was key to ensuring the fundamental quality of Cullinan as Effortless, Everywhere.

The 6.75 litre twin-turbo V12 Rolls-Royce engine delivers 563bhp/420kW and 850Nm/627lb-ft of torque to the all-new Rolls-Royce All-Wheel Drive. A four-wheel steering system provides never-before-seen handling. The entire package makes Cullinan capable of overcoming any challenge while still delivering the world-renowned ‘Rolls-Royce Magic Carpet Ride.’

Designing a force of nature

“At this point in the history of automotive design, SUVs have become homogenous and ubiquitous,” comments Giles Taylor, Director of Design, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. “The label SUV is now applied to anything with a two-box silhouette and the least suggestion of going off tarmac. We envisioned an authentic, three-box all-terrain high-bodied car with a convention-challenging design and absolute capability that would satisfy the adventurous urges of our clients.”

Working with the Architecture of Luxury, Taylor and his team designed the car he knew would meet expectations. Iconic design, proper Rolls-Royce proportions inside and out, and uncompromised levels of luxury.

The Rolls-Royce Cullinan is Rolls-Royce as never seen before. When Sir Henry Royce said, “Strive for perfection in everything you do. Take the best that exists and make it better. When it does not exist, design it,” he could have had Cullinan in mind.

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