The all-new Rolls-Royce Ghost was supposed to debut this summer, but the global pandemic has inevitably delayed these plans. In an open letter from the company's CEO Torsten Muller-Otvos, Rolls-Royce has announced the Ghost's replacement will now make its debut this fall, over ten years after the original Ghost went on sale. In the last decade, the Rolls-Royce Ghost has become the luxury automaker's best-selling model, so it's vital that its successor lives up to customer expectations. According to the CEO, the development of the Ghost was in the final stages before the pandemic delayed its debut.

To make sure the new Ghost lives up to expectations, Rolls-Royce has been gathering feedback to "create a product that would resonate with our Ghost clients for the next ten years." From this feedback, the luxury automaker found that clients want the design of the new Ghost to have "more minimalism."

Development of the new Rolls-Royce Ghost began five years ago. The new luxury limo is being built entirely from the ground up, as the CEO claims the only components that have carried over are the Spirit of Ecstasy and umbrellas - "everything else is entirely new".

"Ghost is the purest expression of Rolls-Royce yet," Muller-Otvos explained. "It distils the pillars of our brand into a beautiful, minimalist, yet highly complex product that is perfectly in harmony with our Ghost clients' needs and, I believe, perfectly in tune with the times in which we are all living."

To preview the new design, Rolls-Royce has released the first official teaser image of the new Ghost in the form of a design sketch illustrating its sleek silhouette.

As we've seen in spy shots of prototypes, the new design won't be a dramatic departure from the current model. The overall shape will be very familiar, while the headlights, taillights and grille will be updated to reflect the design language of the newer Rolls-Royce Phantom and Rolls-Royce Cullinan while making the new Ghost look more refined. Inside, the luxury cabin will also be upgraded with new tech including a larger infotainment screen and a digital instrument cluster. Also expect the new Ghost to be lighter and more agile thanks to Rolls-Royce's new aluminum platform.

As for the powertrain, the next-generation Ghost is expected to get a 6.75-liter twin-turbo V12 producing 563 horsepower and 664 lb-ft of torque. Over the next few weeks, Rolls-Royce will release a series of four animations providing "rare insights into the lifestyles and behavior of our Ghost client layer" and technical details before the new Ghost debuts this fall. You can watch the first animated video above that explores how client feedback influenced the design of the new Ghost.