It was in early 2003 that the current Phantom first hit the scene, the first Rolls-Royce to be launched under the stewardship of BMW and the first standalone model from the British marque for quite some time. The car has since gone on to spawn coupe and convertible versions and was given a mild update last year to keep it looking fresh.

However, there’s no denying that the Phantom is long overdue for a redesign. We now have a few details on the next Phantom, courtesy of a report from Automotive News (subscription required).

The next Phantom will reportedly arrive in 2016 and share a platform with the next-generation BMW 7-Series, due in late 2015. By sharing this platform, the next Phantom will be able to benefit from extensive weight-saving measures, hybrid and other fuel-saving technologies and even all-wheel-drive capability. The current Phantom rides on a bespoke platform while the smaller Ghost shares a platform with the current 7-Series.

A coupe version is said to follow roughly two years later and could share its development with a new BMW 8-Series, which the German automaker hinted at with the unveiling of its Gran Lusso Coupe concept vehicle earlier this year.

After the coupe, we’re likely to see Rolls-Royce introduce a convertible so that the future Phantom range mirrors the current lineup.

Expect a big V-12 to remain a mainstay for the next Phantom.

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