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LONDON, England - Rolls-Royce on Wednesday (Feb18, 2015) unveiled plans to launch its own SUV, mirroring recent moves by rivals Bentley and Jaguar.
The automaker, owned by BMW, revealed in an open letter from Rolls-Royce chairperson Peter Schwarzenbauer and chief executive Torsten Mueller-Oetvoes that it was in the process of developing its first 4x4 vehicle.
Schwarzenbauer said: "We're confirming that we are developing an all-new Rolls-Royce with exceptional presence, elegance and purpose. It's a car that offers the luxury of a Rolls-Royce in a vehicle that can cross any terrain."
UNIQUE AND RARE
The automaker added that the new model would be "a high-bodied car, with an all-new aluminium architecture", but gave no indication of price or when production would begin.
Schwarzenbauer said: "The launch of the Phantom in 2003 marked the beginning of the renaissance of Rolls-Royce vehicles. Since then, we have set a new benchmark for what a super-luxury car should be – unique, hand-crafted, beautiful and rare. Now in 2015 we have reached another seminal moment in Rolls-Royce’s 111-year journey.
Schwarzenbauer pointed out that many discerning customers had urged Rolls-Royce us to develop the new car.
"At Rolls-Royce we're uniquely focused on the desires of our customers and are driven by our own thirst to innovate. So we challenged our engineers and design team, led by the director of design Giles Taylor, to create a different and exceptional new car."
He said the BMW group stood proudly behind the announcement and the group's investment into the Rolls-Royce brand was paying considerable dividends.
"Rolls-Royce is the ultra-luxury cornerstone of the BMW group's premium brand strategy and we will continue to strongly support Rolls-Royce as it moves, confidently, into this new phase in its development," Schwarzenbauer said.
