Rolls-Royce, following the 2018 addition of the brand's first SUV, the Cullinan, is returning its product spotlight onto the Ghost sedan, the best-selling car in the automaker's 116-year history.
At first glance, the redesigned Ghost is clearly a Rolls-Royce, given the sedan's face and stance. However, a "minimalist aesthetic" was the design team's chief objective, even before customers' newfound desire for less flashy, "post-opulent" styling, the company said.
Aside from the Spirit of Ecstasy hood ornament and the umbrellas found inside the doors, no other design elements carried over from the previous Ghost, Rolls-Royce said.
The aluminum body is rendered as one expansive piece, harking back to the Silver Dawn and Silver Cloud models of the brand's past. The automaker notes that the Ghost's design requires four manufacturing employees to hand weld the body together simultaneously.
With the redesign, the Ghost makes the jump onto the British ultraluxury brand's aluminum architecture, which also underpins the Cullinan and the Phantom flagship sedan.
The latest Ghost features a bigger footprint.
It is now 218 inches long, up 3.5 inches, and 85 inches wide, up 1.2 inches. The wheelbase is 130 inches, helping to keep the interior spacious.
All-wheel-drive
Perhaps the biggest changes to the Ghost are found behind the skin.
In a pivot from the previous generation, which was rear-wheel drive, the Ghost now features all-wheel-drive, as well as all-wheel steering.
The Ghost's suspension was also an area of focus. Rolls-Royce developed what it has named the Planar system for the suspension and is highlighted by three components.