A picture says a thousand words, or in this case, shows off thousands of new rivets on the frame of the next-generation Rolls-Royce Phantom. To tease us and get our speculative minds up and running, the British luxury automaker paper clipped this image to its recent press release that confirmed the eighth generation Phantom's 2018 release date. The current Phantom has been around for 12 years and has seen only one major update in that lengthy period of time.

Suffice it to say, it's time for a change. In the image we see a Rolls-Royce employee assembling the aluminum shell of the next-generation Phantom. The new platform will underpin future Rolls-Royces, including the upcoming Cullinan SUV, and have the ability to fit a hybrid drivetrain inside for seamlessly clean wafting. While the use of lightweight metals signifies a reduction in weight to meet regulators halfway, this doesn't mean that the new Phantom will be gutted. Instead, it will likely use its weight reduction to get away with all of the opulent luxuries that will be present in the new car. Unfortunately, the new aluminum frame won't make it to the current Wraith or Ghost, but we can be sure that the next versions will get the aluminum effort.

While news of a new and improved Phantom around the corner may sway some buyers to hold out until the new car is on the market, Rolls-Royce insists that this hasn't been the case. While it did specify that it would have enough Phantoms left over for all of 2017, even when production is ending on December 31 of this year, the company's CEO said "The huge level of demand for Phantom VII, which we will fulfill well into 2017, clearly demonstrates that the Rolls-Royce customer and patron of true luxury will accept no compromise when considering the purchase of a super-luxury motor car, and will not be seduced by mass-luxury brands." With high regard from its customers, we can't wait to see where the luxury automaker will take the Phantom.