Rolls Royce to offer SUV

Following rivals Bently and Jaguar in catering to the demand for upmarket 4x4 models, Rolls-Royce has revealed plans to make SUVs.

According to the 111-year-old company owned by German car firm BMW, it had been asked by customers to add the as-yet unnamed vehicle to its existing saloon models – the Phantom, Ghost and Wraith - whose prices start at about £200,000.

According to a joint statement by chairman, Peter Schwarzenbauer and chief executive Torsten Müller-Ötvös the new car was not a radical departure for the venerable brand and that the move reflected Rolls-Royce's rugged roots.

''Rolls-Royces conveyed pioneers and adventurers like Lawrence of Arabia across the vastness of unexplored deserts and over mountain ranges.

In other parts of the world including Australia, India and the Americas, Rolls-Royces carried their owners over challenging terrain with absolute reliability and comfort. Rest assured, we are creating a motor car in the greatest traditions of our marque.''

While they did not mention SUV, 4x4 or other names used normally for off-road vehicles, Rolls-Royce's bosses said in an open letter that they would produce a "high-bodied car that could cross any terrain".

According to a spokesman, the words sport and utility did not feature in the Rolls-Royce lexicon and that was why it was important not to use those words and nor would the company ever use them.

Meanwhile thestar.com reported that the 111-year old company outlined the goals behind their new offering in a letter:

• A car that offers the luxury of a Rolls-Royce in a vehicle that can cross any terrain.
• A car that meets customers' highly mobile, contemporary lifestyle expectations
• A Rolls-Royce that is as much about the pioneering, adventurous spirit of Charles Rolls as it is about Sir Henry Royce's dedication to engineering and innovation.
• A car that appropriately reflects Rolls-Royce's brand promise of effortless luxury
• A high-bodied car, with an all-new aluminium architecture
• A unique new motor car worthy of carrying the Spirit of Ecstasy into the future

According to commentators, the statements that the new Roller will ''cross any terrain,'' embrace the ''pioneering, adventurous spirit of Charles Rolls'' and be a ''high-bodied car'' all pointed to only one thing about the new model - a large scale SUV.

It is expected that the car would be an SUV unlike that which the market had ever seen, with comfort, speed and opulence above all.