Speaking to Auto Express at the 2015 Frankfurt Motor Show, Rolls-Royce boss Torsten Muller Otvos revealed that the upcoming Rolls-Royce SUV would be launched at the end of 2018.
He was confident about the progress being made on developing the brand's first high-riding SUV model, although he prefers to call it an all terrain vehicle.
• Rolls-Royce SUV confirmed for production
He also hinted that the model will be called Cullinan, currently the codename of the car - it was named after the world’s largest rough diamond. Asked if they might adopt the name he smiled and said: “I love the name.”
And in a direct dig at Bentley, who are describing their new Bentayga as the "best SUV in the world," he said: “ The Bentley SUV is clearly the number two; Rolls-Royce is the best in the world and will be when our model arrives. We will bring a great new car, and an authentic Rolls Royce into the market.”
Rolls-Royce Dawn order books filling up
Customers around the world have been happy to put down £25,000 deposits to get to the front of the queue for the new £250,000 Rolls-Royce Dawn convertible.
The car described as the ‘quietest convertible on the road' certainly created a stir at the Frankfurt Show, with a non-stop queue of people trying to get a glimpse.
Mueller Otvos told Auto Express he has been "blown away" by the reaction to the Dawn, especially its reception on social media.
He refused to confirm if the Dawn had already sold out its first year of production, months before it goes on sale, but said that the order book was "very healthy" and the strongest he had seen on a Rolls Royce product.
“The reaction from customers around the world has been fantastic and we will be delivering to our customers who have put down a large deposit first.”
However he said that Rolls Royce was unlikely to achieve a record sales for the sixth year in a row, due to the slump in the Chinese market that is hitting every premium car maker. However he added: “I’m not giving up on the record just yet.”
See our full coverage of Frankfurt 2015 here.