Rolls-Royce SUV Being Internally Rendered Within Company

The rumors of a Rolls-RoyceRolls-RoyceUnited Kingdom, 1904 > present31 models
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SUV persist, and CEO Torsten Müller-Ötvös has confirmed that the company’s designers have made internal renderings imagining the car.

“For me, it is less of a question of whether we should do it — the segment is interesting, growing and stable even in times of economic crisis — as opposed to one of whether it fits with the image and brand of Rolls-Royce. What I can say is that we are currently investigating whether Rolls-Royce can carry such a vehicle,” he said.

He clarified that he has not seen a proposed design that is ready for production yet. The soonest we would possibly see the truck is four years away, and it would probably be later than that.

“If we are to do it, we need to create something that fires the imagination in a timeless way, so we cannot rush. As a result, I would not rule it out or necessarily be confident that it will happen,” he said.

Rolls-Royce designer Giles Taylor is leading the project and has been taking inspiration from the coachbuilt bodies used on early Rolls-Royce cars. The styling direction so far is said to lean closer to a crossover or tall shooting brake, rather than an off-roader.

Planned pricing would be on par with the GhostRolls-Royce GhostUnited Kingdom, 2010 > present15 versions
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and PhantomRolls-Royce Phantom Gen.2United Kingdom, 2012 > present12 versions
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, not less. The technology would come from the next generation of BMWBMWGermany, 1918 > present87 models
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components.

The super-luxury SUV market seems to be getting hot. Bentley has confirmed that its SUV is on the way, and LamborghiniLamborghini UrusItaly, 2012 > present12 photos
has not given up hope to put its SUV in production as well. Even Land RoverLand RoverUnited Kingdom, 1978 > present15 models
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is working on a longer wheelbase, more luxurious Range Rover.

“Whatever we do, we must also balance the need for exclusivity of our cars, and the traditions of the company. We are not in the business of trying to dramatically grow volumes, because our customers expect a certain exclusivity,” said Müller-Ötvös.

Source: Autocar