In the nearer term, Müller-Ötvös aims to make the Ghost line incrementally more dynamic: “A Rolls-Royce can certainly not be sporty in the sense of an overly firm suspension, but it can certainly be more dynamic than it was in the past. The Ghost is definitely a driver’s car, with an 80 percent conquest rate. Those customers use their car every day.” When asked about sportier variations of the Ghost, Müller-Ötvös hints at the obvious coupe and convertible, as we’ve already seen with the Phantom Coupé and Drophead Coupé.

But there’s a limit: “You cannot change a brand overnight and build a true sports car, low and Ferrari-like. We wouldn’t do that.” And Müller-Ötvös also rules out adding an SUV, as Bentley intends to do: “Rolls-Royce stands for the best sedans in the world, magnificent coupes and convertibles, and we really would like to retain this identity. I have a difficult time imagining an SUV for our brand.” Moreover, he strictly dismisses the option of launching a car positioned below the Ghost.

Müller-Ötvös, however, would love to offer coachbuilding services and one-off derivatives, but wistfully says that “the hurdles to homologate such cars are gigantic. It is not a financially worthwhile business.” He also says that he welcomes more competition: “I believe this segment is strongly driven by supply. I don’t have a problem with more competition and new brands. I wonder how credible their heritage would be. But that is for [those brands] to answer.”

Rolls-Royce is set to preview new members of the Ghost family with concept cars, or Experimental Cars as the company traditionally describes them.
A coupe and cabriolet are tipped to be joining the new Ghost saloon within the next few years and these will both have concept versions in order to gauge customer demand.

Rolls-Royce chairman Ian Robertson also admitted to Autocar that the company wouldn’t necessarily stick to the Ghost name for all variants, as it has with the Phantom family. This opens the door for the return of such names as Corniche and Carmargue for the soft-top and coupe variants.