The Rolls-Royce Cullinan emerged as the epitome of luxury, opulence, and excess in May 2018 at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este. As such, the British carmaker is looking to update this majestic SUV. Now that it’s 2024, we have the first images of the 2025MY Cullinan, leaked several months before it goes on sale-expect the luxury SUV to hit the market by the end of the calendar year.
The Cullinan remains a timeless design. However, Rolls-Royce is looking for a way to update its design and perhaps convince existing owners to upgrade to a 2025 model. This will be done through a mixture of design, cutting-edge engineering, and features.
Of course, we don’t have the full specs and details, but we do have these very clear photos of a test prototype from the Instagram account @wilcoblok. As you can probably tell, the 2025 Cullinan will have a whole new front end.
The section around the grille and lights has sunken into the bodywork, creating a 3D effect. Designers appear to have given the SUV new headlights which are narrower and may continue with a vertical strip of LEDs. The shape of the lower air intakes has also changed, as they now incorporate some louvers.
Around the back, we have new exhaust tips or surrounds, which are much taller. The black plastic bumper is now glossy and follows the shape of the bumper. It’s quite similar to parent company BMW’s design with its M Performance models. The taillights are also slightly updated, but you can barely tell.
BMW made its last V12 engine back in 2022, but we don’t expect Rolls-Royce to follow. As a low-volume ultra-luxury automaker, it seems to be exempt from following the industry trend for downsizing. As such, the 2025 Cullinan will continue to use a twin-turbocharged 6.75-liter V12, which is a derivative of BMW’s N74.
Currently, the V12 produces 563 horsepower in the normal model or 591 hp in the Black Series. Hybrid assistance may be added, but it’s honestly not necessary, since the V12 is already smoother than any hybrid and doesn’t require additional power. However, since 2025 Cullinan prototypes have also been spotted performing emission testing in Europe, the carmaker will lower emissions for the facelift. Plus, Rolls-Royce will likely begin development of an all-electric Cullinan right after this facelift drops.
As for pricing, we believe it will continue to increase. The 2023 Cullinan started at $376,750, while the 2024 Cullinan is $391,750. But that shouldn’t really be a problem for wealthy buyers like Tiesto, who routinely drop hundreds of thousands on modifications for their standout rides, be they SUVs or not.
