First Rolls-Royce Cullinan buyer female

Sexist headline? Perhaps, but it got you clicking… Plus it’s true: the first confirmed Australian buyer for the new Rolls-Royce Cullinan SUV is female. And the unnamed Ms has ticked plenty of bespoke options for her uber-luxury off-roader.

Rolls-Royce insiders say the gender of the first buyer is an indication of the early success of the expanded footprint Rolls-Royce has sought with the Cullinan.

Described as “Effortless Everywhere”, Cullinan has already attracted strong order interest from Australian buyers, many of whom are new to the brand, says Rolls-Royce Regional Sales Manager, Ian Grant.

“We are seeing brand-new customers, which is great news,” Grant told motoring.com.au at a private showing of the 5.3m long Cullinan in Melbourne this morning.

“At the same time we’re receiving good feedback [orders] from existing customers that are saying: ‘I know the brand; I believe in the brand; and I’m ready for my next car or another to complement my Ghost or Phantom,” he said.

Grant would not give details about ‘Ms Cullinan’, save to say she has also chosen the four-place ‘Serenity’ seating version of the Cullinan which features individual rear seats and a fixed rear bulkhead with glass partition between the cabin and luggage space.

“Along with the level of bespoke, that’s been one of the surprising things – from our Australian customers,” Grant opined.

“It’s saying to me that these [four-seat] customers know what Rolls-Royce is about. No matter which model they choose, they want what they want. They are choosing the [vehicle] design that best answers their needs.”

The five-seat version of the Cullinan features a more conventional electric-folding 40:20:40-split second row to deliver a degree of flexible luggage options. This set-up also allows the addition of a removable ‘recreational module’.

Grant explained one Australian customer with an interest in ‘twitching’ was working with Rolls-Royce’s Goodwood headquarters to design a unit which would accommodate his binoculars, telescope and camera gear.

Alas the fishermen at carsales HQ are lamenting the fact no Aussie Cullinan customers have yet opted for the Hardy Brothers bespoke fly fishing module for their Cullinan.

Grant says paint, the integration of family emblems, names or initials and leather colour-matching are all popular bespoke items with Australian buyers of Cullinan and other Rolls-Royce models.

Although the new “all-terrain, high-bodied car” potentially has a larger customer pool than it’s stablemates, thanks to its [ever so slightly] more affordable $685,000 drive-away pricetag, Grant stopped short of agreeing with our suggestion that Cullinan could become the top-selling Rolls-Royce model Down Under.

“Our numbers are very modest. [But] There’s such a strong demand from Ghost, Wraith and Dawn that I think Cullinan will be complimentary. It will be very interesting to see how the [Australian] market takes to the car,” he said.