Rolls Royce 'Cullinan' Mule Showcased

If you need more proof of the fact that the SUV market is booming, take a good look at this. Codenamed 'Cullinan', this is Rolls-Royce's first SUV. It's good to see that it isn't just a mule Phantom with a fat spoiler and a raised ground clearance, and features all-new bodywork. 

The big Rolls will now begin testing on public roads. Now, this means that the Internet will have a steady supply of spy pictures of the SUV. But since this is Rolls-Royce we're talking about, they've released a couple of pictures themselves. This, we assume, is because the fine gentlemen from London do not like fuzzy spy pictures. 

Rolls-Royce is calling it an ‘all-terrain, high-sided vehicle’. While there isn't too much information about the vehicle itself in the press release issued by the manufacturer, it does drop a few crucial hints. For instance, the SUV will be underpinned by a new aluminium platform that will form the base for other RR cars and feature a new all-wheel-drive system as well. 

And since this will possibly be the most bespoke SUV ever, Rolls isn't taking testing lightly. "This latest development vehicle will travel to numerous locations around the world in a challenging testing programme to ensure that the end product will be ‘Effortless … Everywhere’. Just after Christmas, for example, Project Cullinan will enter the Arctic Circle to undergo cold weather durability and traction testing. Later in 2017, it will travel to the Middle East to endure the highest of temperatures and challenging desert conditions," read a press release. 

There's no official word on the formal public unveil of the 'Cullinan'. That said, it is safe to assume it isn't going to be anytime soon and we would see one in metal only by 2019.