₹27 Crore Rolls Royce Bought By Billionaire Lulu Mall Owner - India's Costliest Car!
M.A.Yusuff Ali, the helmsman of Lulu Group, one of India’s most well-known multinational conglomerates, already owns an enviable multi-crore car collection. Now, he has made headlines again by adding a brand-new Rolls-Royce Cullinan Series II to his garage, which has reportedly become the most expensive car in the country. Previously Yohan Poonawalla's Rolls Royce Phantom VIII EWB used to hold this title. A video shared on the Instagram handle cj7repsol.thecarspotter, however, claims that Yusuff Ali's new Cullinan Series II costs over 27 crore rupees, as it has been spec'd extensively. This figure, hasn't been confirmed officially by the manufacturer though.
It shows Yusuff Ali’s new SUV. The Cullinan is seen parked by the driveway in Lulu mall. The front and side designs are visible. This Cullinan Series II has a dual-tone paint scheme comprising a shade of Red and Silver. This 'Crystal over Magma Red' paint job alone, reportedly costed the owner over 3 crore rupees.
It also has a solid Gold ‘Spirit of Ecstasy’. The video, however, doesn’t show the vehicle’s coachline. The cabin seems to be finished in Red and White and likely has a lot of personalisation gone into it.
Yusuff Ali has registered the new SUV in Kochi. Its registration plate reads ‘KL7 DH1’. It is not a High Security Registration Plate (HSRP), though. Plus, there is also a Red plate that reads ‘ Govt of Kerala’. This has sparked discussions on platforms like Reddit. People wonder if it is legal for this business tycoon to put this plate on his private vehicle.
Yusuf Ali is the vice chairman of NORKA ROOTS, an initiative by the government of Kerala to handle the affairs of non-resident Keralites. In the past, he has also served as a representative and negotiator for the Kerala government in several expatriate issues. The Red plate on his car has ‘Vice Chairman, NORKA ROOTS’ written on it. But, is this legal?
Well, a 2015 order from the government of Kerala says that no transport vehicle or non-transport vehicle other than those owned or hired by the government or that have been permitted to do so by any court, can exhibit a name board on their number plates. Being a prominent technocrat, Yusuff Ali has long been using red ‘Govt of Kerala’ boards on most of his cars, without getting into legal trouble. So, it is likely that he has some special permission to do so.
Rolls Royce launched the Cullinan Series II (’Series II’ denotes the facelift) in India in September 2024. Back then, it had an ex-showroom price of Rs 10.50 crore. The more desirable Black Badge version had a price of Rs 12.25 Crores. The new Cullinan features a revised styling, improved cabin experience and more technology.
The facelifted SUV came with slimmer headlamps and L-shaped LED DRLs that extend to the bumper, a better-looking grille, new wheels, and a revised rear bumper. Inside, the new Cullinan gets a full-width glass panel that runs along the width of the dashboard.
It comes with a new display ‘cabinet’. It also gets the latest version of Rolls’ Spirit infotainment system. The colour schemes of the displays can be changed to match with the vehicle’s paintwork.
The Series II Cullinan is powered by the same 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 engine as its predecessor. It makes 571hp and 850Nm and comes mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission. (The Black Badge version has 600hp and 900Nm on offer) The vehicle also gets an all-wheel drive (AWD) system. The standard SUV can do the 0-100kph run in 5.2 seconds.
The Cullinan Series II has already found places in many celebrity garages. Mukesh Ambani was the first to own the facelift in India. Many other business tycoons and CEOs have also added it to their respective collections.