Rolls-Royce Confirms Cullinan Name for First SUV

BMW AG’s Rolls-Royce Motors Car unit says its upcoming luxury crossover/SUV will be called the Cullinan, which the company has used for the vehicle’s code name for several years.

Due to launch later this year, the Cullinan will be built on the same aluminum spaceframe as the Rolls-Royce Phantom sedan. Rolls-Royce describes the new model as a “high-sided” vehicle rather than a crossover or SUV.

The name comes from the Cullinan Diamond, a 3,106-carat jewel extracted from a South African mine in 1905. The diamond was split into nine stones, with the two largest portions used in the British Imperial Crown and the Sovereign’s Sceptre with Cross.

Camouflaged versions of the vehicle have been spotted testing recently on Germany’s famed Nurburgring performance course. Power is expected to come from a specially tuned version of the Phantom’s 6.8-litre V-12 engine. A plug-in hybrid variant also is said to be under consideration.