Munich - The long-awaited launch of a sports utility vehicle by luxury carmaker Rolls-Royce has moved a step closer although German owners BMW say the car is still at the project phase.
Speaking to journalists, Rolls-Royce CEO Torsten Mueller-Oetvoes said the “luxury SUV” segment was a very interesting market for the opulent brand whose cars are aimed at wealthy entrepreneurs.
The Rolls-Royce chief confirmed that intensive development work was being carried out on a high-riding Roller at the company's Goodwood base.
This was confirmed by BMW Board group member Peter Schwarzenbauer who recently told Britain's Autocar magazine: “We're looking seriously into it.”
No firm decision would be made until designers were convinced that the design of the car dovetails with the ultra-luxury image of Rolls-Royce which has been in German ownership since 2002, said Schwarzenbauer.
The Rolls-Royce SUV will share a technical base with the upcoming new BMW X7 which is due to start coming off the assembly line at the company's US plant in Spartanburg in 2017.
The Rolls-Royce SUV is expected to make extensive use of carbon in order to reduce weight. The car will feature four-wheel-drive and a powerful V12 engine as standard but the emphasis will be on upmarket equipment rather than offroad capability.
Sapa-dpa