Rolls-Royce to build all-terrain SUV

LONDON, United Kingdom — Luxury carmaker Rolls-Royce says it will jump into the highly competitive SUV market by offering a completely new all-terrain vehicle.

Chief Executive Officer Torsten Muller-Otvos said Wednesday the announcement marks a “seminal moment in Rolls-Royce’s 111-year journey.”

Rolls-Royce follows BMW, Porsche, Mercedes-Benz and other high-end carmakers into the lucrative SUV market.

The company has long been known for its stately, expensive sedans and convertibles.

Rolls-Royce says the new aluminum SUV will have exceptional elegance as well as the toughness needed to cross any terrain. According to the company, the SUV “will embody all the values and capabilities that drove our two Founding Fathers to secure Rolls-Royce’s reputation, early last century, by taking top honours in rigorous overland adventures such as the Scottish Reliability Trials, the London to Edinburgh event and the Alpine Trials. Rolls-Royces conveyed pioneers and adventurers like Lawrence of Arabia across the vastness of unexplored deserts and over mountain ranges.”

It did not announce a target date for production or the cost of the vehicle. –With report from Associated Press