Rolls-Royce to cease production of the Phantom VII in 2016

Rolls-Royce has announced that it will cease production of the seventh generation Phantom which came into being in 2003, later this year. This also means that production of the Phantom Coupe and the Phantom Drophead Coupe will stop. Because the Coupe and Drophead Coupe won't be replaced in the future line-up, Rolls-Royce will make the last of each vehicle (50 in total) with bespoke features under the Phantom Zenith title. These features will include details like engraved armrests, custom instrument dials and a special treatment for the Spirit of Ecstasy figurine. Customers will also receive a portable memento of their vehicles. The discontinuation of the Rolls-Royce Coupe and Drophead Coupe makes more room in the market for the Rolls-Royce Ghost, Wraith and the more recent Rolls-Royce Dawn convertible.

The Phantom name will be revived again with the Rolls-Royce Phantom VIII. The Phantom VIII will be based on Rolls-Royce's new all-aluminium architecture which will also underpin the much awaited Rolls-Royce Cullinan, the company's first SUV. The Rolls-Royce Phantom VIII is expected to be updated with all the latest safety tech and a host of other features that should make it seem up to date for another decade or so. Rolls-Royce could also introduce a hybrid variant for the Phantom VIII.