Rolls-Royce adds Cullinan Black Badge for 2020

Rolls-Royce's newest model is the latest to receive a variant from the British ultraluxury automaker's performance and engineering subbrand, Black Badge.

The 2020 Cullinan Black Badge SUV receives a handful of design and performance changes over the standard model. They include an increase of 29 hp and 37 pound-feet of torque to the 6.75-liter-twin turbo V-12 engine for a total of 600 hp and 664 pound-feet of torque. The automaker said the drivetrain and chassis were also re-engineered.

In terms of design elements, as the name implies, the Black Badge variant gets darkened chrome surfaces for the front grille frame and exhaust pipes as well as trim pieces on the side and rear of the vehicle. The Spirit of Ecstasy hood ornament is finished in a darkened, gloss-black chrome. The model also gets 22-inch wheels and red brake calipers.

Inside, there's a starlight headliner, which has become a design hallmark for Rolls-Royce.

Rolls-Royce introduced Black Badge in 2016 at the Geneva auto show with the Ghost sedan and Wraith coupe. It added a Dawn convertible Black Badge variant in 2017. Rolls-Royce does not offer a Phantom Black Badge, nor does it plan to, a company spokesman said.

The automaker has said that Black Badge variants have brought younger buyers to the brand, with the average customer for those vehicles being under 40. Additionally, 1 in 5 Rolls-Royce sales are now Black Badge models, the automaker noted.

The Cullinan Black Badge starts at $382,000, an increase of $52,000 over the standard Cullinan. Prices do not include shipping.

Rolls-Royce's entry into the SUV market went on sale in the U.S. in late 2018. Rolls-Royce sold 4,107 vehicles globally in 2018, a record sales year for the company.