You’ve got to love a world where Matt Damon can own both a Prius and a Rolls Royce. The difference in price is plain absurd, but they each serve a purpose. The Prius is practical, responsible, a badge of sorts that you’re doing your part in the fight against global warming. The Rolls is flashy, sexy, and a deserving toy to the actor that has poured his blood, sweat, and tears into his craft.

As a society, we accept this. Heck, it’s Damon’s money, why should we care how he spends it? But while the Prius is the responsible choice, we’re currently living in a climate that is not only suffering economically but also going through an awakening of sorts. Folks are questioning whether something so extravagant as a boat, a third home, or a Rolls is necessary. What’s the point, many collectively ask? The good people at Rolex, Gucci, Rolls Royce, and other luxury brands don’t necessarily welcome this line of questioning. Said line of questioning could ultimately result in fewer sales, and no business desires anything of the sort.

So, what is Rolls Royce to do in the face of changing attitudes towards luxury? They released their new 2021 Ghost, a more “minimalist” take on the classic Ghosts of the last decade. But when we say minimalist, (err, when Rolls says minimalist), this begs the question - compared to what? Here are the hard facts - the base price is $332,500 with a twin-turbocharged 6.75-liter V12 pushing 563 horsepower and 627 pound-feet at 1,600 rpm. Sounds rather “un-stately,” doesn’t it?

We’re trying not to pile on but Rolls themselves admitted they might need to re-think their business model. Global sales were down a painful 30% over the first half of 2020, and their West Sussex production factory was shuttered in March before finally reactivating a handful of shifts in September. This is the same reality facing nearly every major auto manufacturer, but Rolls needs to bounce back from all this with sales. And who is buying $500,000 plus cars in a recession?

Well, the consensus on things like this is far from logical. Some luxury brands do quite well in recessions, while others simply crash and burn. When Rolls puts out that the Ghost will be a minimalist model among their fleet, it would appear they’re simply hedging their bets, like all intelligent manufacturers do. Rolls had a banner year in 2019, so we know in a good environment they’re certainly profitable. And perhaps some will be fooled by this “minimalist” angle, but this scribe will not be bamboozled. Take a look at the 2021 Ghost, it’s a fabulous piece of machinery. But it’s still priced more than 99% of all cars on the road.