Shanghai 2009: Rolls-Royce ditches RR4 for Ghost nameplate

At the Shanghai Motor Show this morning, Rolls-Royce finally put the temporary RR4 moniker to rest by officially naming its new Flying Spur-fighting sedan the " Ghost." Shown in concept form as the 200EX at last month's Geneva Motor Show, the Ghost will be built later this year on a separate assembly line at the automaker's newly expanded Goodwood facility, where it will share paint, wood and leather with its flagship brother, the Phantom. The Ghost is built using 20% of the parts from the recent BMW 7 series platform and will be equipped with a 500+ hp, twin-turbocharged V12 mated to an eight-speed transmission. Expect sales to begin in late 2009, with coupe and convertible variants to follow in the next two to three years.

PRESS RELEASE

Rolls-Royce Motor Cars has announced the name for its new model series which until now has been known as RR4. The name was announced by CEO, Tom Purves at a press conference held at the Shanghai motor show.

The new car will be called the Rolls-Royce Ghost and production will begin at the company's Goodwood manufacturing facility on the south coast of England later in 2009.

Rolls-Royce Motor Cars CEO, Tom Purves, said, "We are delighted to formally announce the Rolls-Royce Ghost. It is one of the most revered names in the automotive industry, evoking images of adventure and technical innovation. The name reflects this new model's breadth of abilities. The first cars to bear the Ghost name were known not only for impressive dependability and refinement but also great flair and style. This car will be the first in a new generation of models to carry this evocative name and will give us two pinnacle product lines – Phantom and Ghost.

The Rolls-Royce Ghost will be built on its own dedicated production line at Goodwood but will share paint, wood and leather workshops with the Phantom series of cars. Rolls-Royce has expanded all areas of its manufacturing facility over the last 18 months to prepare for the introduction of the Ghost model.