Rolls-Royce has been calling its upcoming SUV the “Cullinan Project” for years now as a nod to the 3,106-carat diamond found more than 100 years ago in a South African mine.
It looks like the nickname stuck. The luxury automaker said Tuesday that its new SUV will be called Cullinan. This will be the second Rolls-Royce following the Phantom VIII that was unveiled in July 2017 to be built on its all-new aluminum architecture. The new aluminum architecture will underpin every future Rolls-Royce, a notable change that means it will be used on Rolls-Royce vehicles of varying size and weight as well as with different propulsion, traction, and control systems.
The Cullinan is expected to be unveiled later this year.
Rolls Royce CEO Torsten Müller-Ötvös explains why the name is so fitting (you know, besides the obvious connection to extreme wealth). The new Rolls-Royce Cullinan has undertaken a “fascinating journey,” the company says, noting that the vehicle has been tested in deserts in Africa and the Middle East, the snowy environs of the Arctic Circle, and the “grassy glens of the Scottish Highlands.” Don’t worry, “the towering canyons of North America” were also part of the development process.
“We were inspired by the epic processes, over many millennia, which went into the creation of the Cullinan Diamond,” Müller-Ötvös said. “The name embodies the many facets of our new motor car’s promise.”