Rolls-Royce Motor Cars has confirmed that it will cease production of its seventh-generation Phantom this year. As eloquently put by the brand’s CEO, Torsten Müller-Ötvös, the current Phantom will “enter the last stages of its celebrated life in 2016.”
In its announcement, the car maker also highlighted that it is already testing an all-new aluminium architecture – one which it says will “underpin every future Rolls-Royce arriving in-market from early 2018.” The replacement for the flagship Phantom limousine has been spied on several occasions already, with word of its new aluminium space-frame widely reported.
However, while the replacement model was previously anticipated to arrive sometime this year, RR’s confirmation that the new platform would only come to market in 2018 also means that the new Phantom’s arrival will be later than expected. This also sets a timeframe for the brand’s coming SUV, that will also be underpinned by the new aluminium space-frame.
With a certain degree of influence set to come from the new BMW 7 Series, the next-gen Rolls-Royce is also likely to share the same V12 powerhouse featured in the new BMW M760i xDrive. The 6.6 litre TwinPower turbo V12 delivers 600 hp and 800 Nm of torque – a significant increase from the current Phantom’s 453 hp/720 Nm BMW-sourced 6.75 litre V12.
GALLERY: Next-gen Rolls-Royce Phantom spyshots
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