Rolls-Royce SUV? New details, and a potential look for the biggest Roller

A few months ago, during the North American unveiling of the Ghost Series II in Dallas, Rolls-Royce Director of Design Giles Taylor made an off-handed remark that the British luxury marque was experimenting with the idea of building a sport utility vehicle. It makes sense; Utility vehicles will soon account for about two-thirds of the vehicles being sold around the globe, and Rolls Royce wants a share of that multi-million dollar pie.

Inquiring minds at the table quickly jumped, peppering the executive with questions about what a Rolls Royce SUV would look like, what kind of performance would it offer, and what it might cost. Taylor quickly tried to squash the conversation by saying the company’s plans in the utility segment weren’t “firm yet,” so anything he said about the subject would be “mere speculation” on his part. Then, he got up and moved to another table.

Rolls-Royce is ready to talk about its first SUV now — at least a little bit.

This week, Rolls-Royce confirmed that it would develop an all-new “high-bodied motor car” that would be able to “cross any terrain.” Translation: The uber-luxury carmaker is jumping into the ultra-popular SUV fray with both feet.

Even though the design is still a work in progress, an insider close to the vehicle’s development told Yahoo Autos that it will be a big, beautiful beast: “It’s long and tall, featuring a unique shape and commanding driving position. But will also be easily recognizable as a Rolls-Royce.” (We've used those insights to craft the renderings here).

But how? The SUV will employ an all-new, next-gen aluminum chassis. Not only will it make the yet-to-be-named utility vehicle lighter and more efficient, the new platform will underpin all new Rolls-Royce models going forward. For now, power will be sourced from the same V-12 twin-turbo 6.6-liter found in the Ghost and Wraith. No word on whether it will be identically spec’d or tweaked for the platform, though. In addition, the high-bodied motor car will also feature an advanced all-wheel drive system that may or may not trickle down to the Ghost, Wraith, and soon-to-be-released Wraith convertible.

It’s too early to tell whether the big beast will also feature the satellite-aided transmission found in the Ghost II and Wraith. But it will be equipped with a complete compliment of advanced driver assists and connectivity options like the Ghost II. “We fully expect the new vehicle to provide new opportunities for us to employ these technologies to enable our owners to enjoy it everywhere,” said a Rolls Royce Motor Cars spokesman. “We simply hide them under the skin, make them unobtrusive.”

Rolls Royce did not mention price and availability, and the vehicle will not be shown at any auto show this year, including Geneva, New York, or Frankfurt. But you can expect to see it sometime in 2018 as a 2019 model — about the same time as the upcoming Bentley and Mercedes-Maybach SUVs — and you’ll pay around 400,000 euros, or $455,000, for a ticket to ride.

Illustrations: Chris Doane Automotive for Yahoo Autos