Ineos Grenadier

Last updated
Ineos Grenadier
2021 Ineos Grenadier 3.0 Front.jpg
Overview
Manufacturer Ineos Automotive
ProductionOctober 2022 – present [1]
Model years 2023–present
AssemblyFrance: Hambach (Smartville)
Designer Toby Ecuyer (head of design) [2]
Body and chassis
Class
Body style
Layout Front-engine, four-wheel drive
Powertrain
Engine
Transmission ZF 8-speed automatic
Dimensions
Wheelbase
  • 2,922 mm (115.0 in)
  • 3,227 mm (127.0 in) (Quartermaster)
Length
  • 4,856 mm (191.2 in) [3]
  • 5,400 mm (212.6 in) (Quartermaster)
Width
  • 1,930 mm (76.0 in)
  • 1,943 mm (76.5 in) (Quartermaster)
Height
  • 2,036 mm (80.2 in)
  • 2,019 mm (79.5 in) (Quartermaster)
Kerb weight 2,700 kg (6,000 lb)

The Ineos Grenadier is an off-road utility vehicle designed and produced by Ineos Automotive Ltd. It went into production in October 2022. The Grenadier was designed to be a modern replacement of the original Land Rover Defender, with boxy bodywork, a steel ladder chassis, beam axles with long-travel progressive-rate coil spring suspension (front and rear), and powered by BMW six-cylinder internal combustion engines.

Contents

History

Rear view 2021 Ineos Grenadier 3.0 Rear.jpg
Rear view

Ineos Automotive Ltd was founded by Sir Jim Ratcliffe, chairman of the multinational chemicals company Ineos. [4] Ratcliffe came up with the idea of building a replacement for his Land Rover Defender and approached Jaguar Land Rover to buy the tooling to continue production after the original model ceased at Solihull after 67 years in January 2016, but the firm declined. [4] Ratcliffe later decided to initiate a project to design and build a similar vehicle under the codename Projekt Grenadier. [5]

The vehicle is named after Ratcliffe's favourite pub, The Grenadier, in Belgravia, London, where the initial idea was considered, and where a promotional presentation was shown. [4] Comparing this project to James Dyson's plan to build an electric car in Singapore, which was cancelled in October 2019, writing off £500 million of his own money, an industry insider commented "If JLR, which made the Defender for 70 years, is struggling, then that's an indicator of how tough it's going to be for a newcomer". [6]

The vehicle was proposed to be manufactured in Wales, but later confirmed to be made in France. [7] [8] Production started in July 2022 at Ineos Automotive plant in Hambach, France. [9] [10] The first deliveries were made in December 2022. [11]

Development

Interior Ineos Grenadier IAA 2021 1X7A0085.jpg
Interior

In March 2019, Ineos Automotive announced that it had entered into a powertrain technology partnership with BMW. [12] It was announced in September 2019 that the Grenadier would be manufactured at a bespoke new manufacturing facility on a greenfield site in Bridgend, Wales. Ineos Automotive also confirmed that it would be investing in a sub-assembly plant in Estarreja, Portugal, for the Grenadier's body and chassis. [13] In December 2019, Ineos Automotive announced the Austrian-based Magna Steyr as its engineering partner for the development of the Grenadier. This partnership would oversee turning the development project concept into a mass-produced vehicle. [14] Development of the off-roader would see it undergo 1.1 million miles (1.8 million km) as part of a gruelling testing regime. [15] Mark Tennant, the commercial director of Ineos Automotive, told the Financial Times there had been 50,000 expressions of interest before the designs of the vehicle had been made public. The firm expects to build 25,000 Grenadier models a year at full capacity. [16] In June 2020, Ineos Automotive unveiled a first look at the exterior design of the Grenadier, as well as some technical information relating to the vehicle's chassis, towing capabilities and suspension. [17]

On 7 July 2020, it was reported that Ineos Automotive was in talks with Daimler AG, the owner of Mercedes-Benz, to buy the Smart factory in Hambach, France, and build the Grenadier there instead of Wales and Portugal. "It's a serious business consideration," Tennant said. [18] [19] Ken Skates, Welsh Government Minister for Economy, Transport and North Wales said it would be "a real blow if Ineos reneged on its very public commitment". [20] [21] The government of Wales was reported in July 2020 to have spent £5 million on supporting the Ineos factory development at Bridgend with enabling work and road infrastructure, and said at that time that it would "look to recoup appropriate costs from the company" if the Bridgend factory was cancelled. [22]

In November 2020, it was announced that Ineos would work with Korean carmaker Hyundai on a longer-term plan to develop a reliable source of hydrogen in Europe to use Hyundai fuel cell technology, with no carbon dioxide emissions, on later Grenadier production. [23]

On 8 December 2020, Ineos announced it had purchased the Smartville factory at Hambach, France, to build the Grenadier, stating that the site's location "gives excellent access to supply chains, automotive talent and target markets". [24] Ineos denied on Twitter having received "grants or other direct financial support" from either the Welsh or Portuguese governments. [25] On 29 September 2021, Ineos announced it would locate its North American headquarters in Raleigh, North Carolina. [26] [27] In November 2021, Ineos Automotive revealed that it had made losses exceeding £250 million over three years on the project. Other companies owned by Ratcliffe made loans to the automotive subsidiary, so that his total commitment at the time could be over £650 million. [28]

In January 2022, Ineos's engineering team was caught in a 'one-in-a-hundred year (flood) event' during hot weather testing in outback South Australia. [29] Ineos plans on returning to Australia to complete this testing, along with undertaking an expedition of the Canning Stock Route. [30]

Design

Grenadier front Ineos Grenadier Classic-Days 2022 DSC 0007.jpg
Grenadier front
Grenadier rear Ineos Grenadier Classic-Days 2022 DSC 0284.jpg
Grenadier rear

While the Grenadier is not a direct replica of a Land Rover Defender (it uses none of the original tooling or componentry), Toby Ecuyer [31] made it clear that their mission was specifically to build a modern Defender, saying it was a 'massive shame' that the outgoing Defender was ceasing production. In an interview with Autocar UK, he explained that their mission initially began with trying to do just that. "We thought, well, we’ll replace it. Then we thought, let’s build a better one, something that doesn’t leak and is comfortable. After all, this isn’t 1948. We can move on." [32] Speaking on how they would modernise the Defender's design he stated "That was when we started collecting similar vehicles – Bronco, Pajero, G-Wagen, various Jeeps – to see how other manufacturers had done it". [32]

At the online launch, Toby Ecuyer, head of design at Ineos Automotive, [33] said: "We had Jeeps, Land Rovers, Toyota Hiluxes, a Toyota Land Cruiser, Nissan Patrols, Ford Broncos. And we looked at vans, lorries, Unimogs, military vehicles, tractors. African-spec vehicles were particularly interesting. They all shaped our plan for a vehicle that would be extremely capable but also very honest and uncomplicated". The exterior design of the Grenadier was shown to the public for the first time in an online launch on 1 July 2020. At the launch Ratcliffe said "The Grenadier project started by identifying a gap in the market, abandoned by a number of manufacturers, for a utilitarian off-road vehicle. This gave us our engineering blueprint for a capable, durable and reliable 4x4 built to handle the world's harshest environments". [34] Steve Cropley, editor-in-chief at Autocar said "The result is a simple, well-proportioned and familiar-looking off-roader." [35]

Ecuyer is hoping that none of the inevitable discussion of the homage to the Defender's design obscures the unique and utilitarian design behind the Grenadier: the roof that doubles as a load rack, the roof tie bars (that go roughly where the Defender 110 has roof lights), the two-piece rear door, the exposed door hinges and the multi-purpose ‘utility rails’ that run along the exterior of the door panels where scuff bars would usually be placed.

Grenadier Quartermaster

Grenadier Quartermaster IAA Mobility 2023, Munich (P1110304).jpg
Grenadier Quartermaster

In July 2023, Ineos introduced the Grenadier Quartermaster, a four-door pickup version of the Grenadier. Compared to the SUV version, its wheelbase has been stretched by 305 mm (12.0 in) to fit the bed, which has a maximum payload capacity of 760 kg (1,680 lb). The load bay measures 1,564 mm (61.6 in) long and 1,619 mm (63.7 in), ensuring it can accommodate a standard Euro pallet. The Grenadier Quartermaster towing capacity is rated at 3,500 kg (7,700 lb), identical to the SUV version. [36] [37]

Despite the 25 percent import tariff imposed on light trucks built outside North America, the Grenadier Quartermaster is planned to be sold in the U.S., with pre-orders planned to be opened in early 2024. [38]

Specification

The Grenadier is powered by a choice of BMW six-cylinder engines; the 3.0L B58 inline 6 petrol engine and the 3.0L B57 inline 6 diesel engine. [39] In the Grenadier, the B57 diesel engine makes 183 kW (245 hp; 249 PS) of power (3250-4200rpm) and 550 N⋅m (406 lb⋅ft) of torque (1250-3000rpm). The B58 petrol engine makes 210 kW (282 hp; 286 PS) of power (4750rpm) and 450 N⋅m (332 lb⋅ft) of torque (1750-4000rpm). [40]

Both engines come mated to a ZF eight-speed automatic transmission (codenamed 8HP51 for the petrol, 8HP76 for the diesel), with what Ineos calls a new “heavy duty” torque converter. [40]

All Grenadiers come standard with permanent four-wheel drive (4WD), with low-range accessed through a 2.5:1 Tremec two-speed transfer case. [40]

The Grenadier is built on a box-section ladder frame chassis. There are heavy duty Carraro beam axles at each end, paired to five-link coil suspension supplied by Eibach offering nine degrees of front axle articulation and 12 degrees at the rear, and anti-roll bars for road handling. [40]

Electric Grenadier

The second Grenadier version is an electric model scheduled to enter production in 2026, to be developed with the Canadian car parts manufacturer Magna International, which already builds vehicles for Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Jaguar Land Rover and the startup Fisker Inc. This Grenadier will be built in a factory in Graz, Austria, that already builds electric SUVs for Jaguar and Fisker. [11]

Fuel cell version

Tennant said that internal combustion engines were best for "rough, tough jobs", and pointed out the need for good range and autonomy in remoter parts of the world, with hydrogen fuel cells part of the longer-term plan.

Deploying a hydrogen supply chain could benefit Ineos, which produces 300,000 - 400,000 tonnes of hydrogen a year. [23] [41]

    Related Research Articles

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Land Rover</span> Car marque and former British car company

    Land Rover is a British brand of predominantly four-wheel drive, off-road capable vehicles, owned by multinational car manufacturer Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), since 2008 a subsidiary of India's Tata Motors. JLR currently builds Land Rovers in Brazil, China, India, Slovakia, and the United Kingdom. The Land Rover name was created in 1948 by the Rover Company for a utilitarian 4WD off-road vehicle; currently, the Land Rover range consists solely of upmarket and luxury sport utility vehicles.

    The automotive industry in the United Kingdom is now best known for premium and sports car marques including Aston Martin, Bentley, Caterham Cars, Daimler, Jaguar, Lagonda, Land Rover, Lister Cars, Lotus,MG, McLaren, Mini, MOKE, Morgan, Rolls-Royce and TVR. Volume car manufacturers with a major presence in the UK include Nissan, Toyota, BMW, and Vauxhall Motors. Commercial vehicle manufacturers active in the UK include Alexander Dennis, Dennis Eagle, IBC Vehicles, Leyland Trucks, TEVVA and London Electric Vehicle Company.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Magna International</span> Canadian automotive supplier

    Magna International Inc. is a Canadian parts manufacturer for automakers. It is one of the largest companies in Canada and was recognized on the 2020 Forbes Global 2000. The company is the largest automobile parts manufacturer in North America by sales of original equipment parts; it has ranked consistently in the Fortune Global 500 list for 20 years in a row since 2001. It produces automotive systems, assemblies, modules, and components, which are supplied to General Motors, Ford and Stellantis, as well as BMW, Mercedes, Volkswagen, Toyota, Tesla, and Tata Motors, among others.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Land Rover Freelander</span> Motor vehicle

    The Land Rover Freelander is a series of four-wheel-drive vehicles that was manufactured and marketed by Land Rover from 1997 to 2015. Initially a compact SUV built on a body-on-frame chassis, the second generation model, sold from 2007 to 2015 in North America and the Middle East as the LR2 and in Europe as the Freelander 2, transitioned to a car-based platform which placed it into the compact crossover SUV class, and was developed alongside the Volvo XC60, the Volvo S80 and the third generation Ford Mondeo. The name 'Freelander' is derived from the combination of 'Freedom' and 'Lander'.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Land Rover Defender</span> Motor vehicle

    The Land Rover Defender is a series of British off-road cars and pickup trucks. They consistently have four-wheel drive, and were developed in the 1980s from the original Land Rover series which was launched at the Amsterdam Motor Show in April 1948. Following the 1989 introduction of the Land Rover Discovery, the term 'Land Rover' became the name of a broader marque, and thus no longer worked as the name of a specific model; thus in 1990 Land Rover renamed the 90 and 110 as Defender 90 and Defender 110 respectively. The 127 became the Defender 130.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Magna Steyr</span> Automobile manufacturer

    Magna Steyr GmbH & Co KG is an automobile manufacturer based in Graz, Austria, where its primary manufacturing plant is also located. It is a subsidiary of Canadian-based Magna International and was previously part of the Steyr-Daimler-Puch conglomerate.

    Professor Peter Stevens is a British car designer.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Ineos</span> Privately owned multinational chemicals company

    Ineos Group Limited is a British multinational conglomerate headquartered and registered in London. As of 2021, it is the fourth largest chemical company in the world, with additional operations in fuel, packaging and food, construction, automotive, pharmaceuticals, textiles, and professional sports. Ineos is organised into about 20 standalone business units, each with its own board and operating almost entirely independently, although founder Jim Ratcliffe, who owns a controlling interest, and his associates, who collectively own a minority share, sit on their boards occasionally.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Smartville, Hambach, France</span> Factory in Hambach, France

    Smartville is a purpose-built factory complex in Hambach, France, established in 1994 as a joint venture of Daimler-Benz and the Swiss watch manufacturer Swatch to produce the Smart car. In 2020 the plant was 100% owned by Daimler AG and was taken over by Ineos for production of the Ineos Grenadier 4x4.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Jim Ratcliffe</span> British engineer and businessman (born 1952)

    Sir James Arthur Ratcliffe is a British billionaire, chemical engineer, and businessman. Ratcliffe is the chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of the INEOS chemicals group, which he founded in 1998. The company is estimated to have had a turnover of $65 billion in 2021. He does not have a high public profile, and was once described by The Sunday Times as "publicity shy". In May 2018, Ratcliffe was the richest person in the UK, with a net worth of £21.05 billion. As of May 2023, the Sunday Times Rich List 2023 estimated his net worth at £29.688 billion, making him the second wealthiest figure in the UK. In September 2020, Ratcliffe officially changed his tax residence from Hampshire to Monaco, a move that it is estimated will save him £4 billion in tax. In February 2024, Ratcliffe became a minority shareholder in the English football club Manchester United and gained control over sporting operations.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Jaguar Land Rover</span> British multinational automotive company

    Jaguar Land Rover Automotive PLC is the holding company of Jaguar Land Rover Limited, also known as JLR, and is a British multinational automobile manufacturer which produces luxury vehicles and sport utility vehicles. Jaguar Land Rover is a subsidiary of Tata Motors and has its head office in Whitley, Coventry, UK. The principal activity of Jaguar Land Rover Limited is the design, development, manufacture and sale of vehicles bearing the Jaguar and Land Rover marques.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Range Rover</span> Series of SUV models

    The Land Rover Range Rover, generally shortened to Range Rover, is a 4x4 luxury SUV produced by Land Rover, a marque and sub-brand of Jaguar Land Rover. The Range Rover line was launched in 1970 by British Leyland and is now in its fifth generation.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Ford Bridgend Engine Plant</span>

    The Ford Bridgend Engine Plant was an internal combustion engine factory owned by Ford of Europe and located in Bridgend, Wales. Between 1980 and 2020, it made over 22 million engines used in Ford, Volvo, Jaguar and Land Rover cars.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Solihull plant</span>

    Solihull plant is a car manufacturing factory in Lode Lane, Lode Heath, Solihull, UK, owned by Jaguar Land Rover. The plant sits on a 300-acre (120 ha) site and employs over 9,000 people in manufacturing.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Kahn Design</span>

    Kahn Design is a British-based company that specialises in the modification of motor vehicles. Founded by Afzal Kahn, the company has its headquarters in Bradford and showrooms in both Chelsea and Kensington in London.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Jaguar XE</span> Motor vehicle

    The Jaguar XE (X760) is a car manufactured by Jaguar Land Rover and marketed under their Jaguar marque since April 2015. A large family car, it has a four-door saloon car body style and is aimed at the compact-executive market segment. It is front engined and sold with both rear-wheel drive and all-wheel drive. The successor to the X-Type, it was designed by Ian Callum and launched at the October 2014 Paris Motor Show.

    The Jaguar Land Rover car platforms are the major structures, designed by Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), which underpin their Jaguar and Land Rover cars.

    The electric Jaguar XJ was a battery-electric luxury saloon car due to be launched in 2021 by British car company Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) under their Jaguar Cars marque. It was to supersede the XJ (X351), the last example of which was built in July 2019. In February 2021, CEO Thierry Bolloré announced that this car was cancelled as part of Jaguar's Reimagine plan, although the XJ name may be revived at a later date.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Land Rover Defender (L663)</span> Motor vehicle

    The Land Rover Defender is a four-wheel-drive off-road luxury 4x4 from British automotive company Jaguar Land Rover. The vehicle was launched on 10 September 2019 at the Frankfurt Motor Show. It is significant for being the first all-new version of the Defender, breaking the engineering lineage with its predecessor, a descendant of the original Series Land Rovers of 1948. The unibody-based Defender is aimed at a more upmarket segment than its predecessor.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Range Rover (L460)</span> Fifth-generation Range Rover

    The Land Rover Range Rover (L460), generally shortened to Range Rover, is the fifth generation of the Range Rover, a range of mid- and full-size luxury crossovers produced by Land Rover. It was revealed in London on 26 October 2021. The car is available in two different wheelbases, and the vehicle is available in guises consisting of petrol, petrol mild hybrid, petrol plug-in hybrid, and diesel mild hybrid. A seven-seater option was available slightly after launch.

    References

    1. "Ineos Grenadier Now Officially In Production, Deliveries Start In December". Motor1.com.
    2. "Toby Ecuyer". INEOS Grenadier. 2021-03-30. Retrieved 2022-10-02.
    3. "INEOS Grenadier to start at A$84,500 with a simple model line-up available to order from 18 May". Ineos Grenadier (Press release). 2022-04-28. Retrieved 2022-10-02.
    4. 1 2 3 Cropley, Steve (1 July 2020). "Ineos Grenadier revealed as rugged off-roader for 2021". Autocar. Retrieved 7 July 2020.
    5. Vijayenthiran, Viknesh (19 September 2017). "Unofficial Land Rover Defender successor gets a name". Motor Authority. Retrieved 20 September 2019.
    6. Milmo, Cahal (17 July 2020). "Is the 4x4 dreamt up in a pub a billionaire's vanity project or heading for automotive success?". i News. Article updated 22 March 2021
    7. "The Ineos Grenadier will now be built in France". Top Gear. 2020-12-09. Retrieved 2021-07-09.
    8. Neate, Rupert (8 December 2020). "Ineos boss opts to build 'British' heir to Land Rover Defender in France". The Guardian.
    9. Breuer, Jonathan (2022-07-27). Ineos Grenadier: la production a démarré à Hambach, de nouveaux modèles en projet. www.republicain-lorrain.fr (Video) (in French).
    10. Ashraf, Yousuf (16 February 2022). "Ineos Automotive trials Grenadier production at Hambach plant". Auto Express.
    11. 1 2 Jolly, Jasper (17 April 2023). "Brexit backer Jim Ratcliffe's Ineos to build electric Grenadier in Austria". The Guardian.
    12. Ineos Automotive (19 March 2019) https://ineosgrenadier.com/news/ineos-announces-partnership-bmw
    13. Ineos Automotive (18th September 2019) https://ineosgrenadier.com/news/4x4-to-be-built-in-wales
    14. Attwood, James (17 December 2019) https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/new-cars/ineos-partners-major-engineering-firm-grenadier-development
    15. Anderson, Brad (30 June 2020) https://www.carscoops.com/2020/06/ineos-grenadier-combines-classic-looks-with-new-tech/
    16. "Ineos launches carmaking ambitions with Grenadier off-roader". Financial Times . 1 July 2020. Retrieved 5 July 2020.
    17. "Here's your first look at the Ineos Grenadier off-roader". Top Gear. 2020-07-01. Retrieved 2021-05-06.
    18. "Ineos puts Welsh and Portuguese plants on hold as it eyes French site". Financial Times . 7 July 2020. Retrieved 7 July 2020.
    19. Lea, Robert (7 July 2020). "Wales may lose new Land Rover rival to French factory" . The Times. p. 16.
    20. "Ineos puts Bridgend plant on hold jeopardising hundreds of jobs". Media Wales . 7 July 2020. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
    21. "Ineos sparks fury in UK with mooted 4x4 relocation to France". The Times of India . 8 July 2020. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
    22. Sion, Barry (8 July 2020). "Welsh Government will want its money back if Ineos Automotive abandon factory plans". Business Live.
    23. 1 2 Jolly, Jasper (23 November 2020). "Ineos signs hydrogen fuel cell deal for its off-road vehicle". The Guardian.
    24. Ineos (8 December 2020). "INEOS AUTOMOTIVE CONFIRMS ACQUISITION OF HAMBACH PRODUCTION SITE FROM MERCEDES-BENZ". Ineos Grenadier (Press release).
    25. Ineos Grenadier [@IneosGrenadier] (December 8, 2020). "INEOS has not received any grants or other direct financial support from the Portuguese or Welsh governments" (Tweet) via Twitter.
    26. "INEOS Automotive Announces North American Headquarters in Raleigh, NC". - Wake County Economic Development. 29 September 2021.
    27. "INEOS outlines its plans for selling and servicing the Grenadier worldwide" (Press release). London: INEOS Grenadier. 29 September 2021.
    28. Jolly, Jasper (5 November 2021). "Ineos reveals third loss-making year in effort to make Land Rover rival". The Guardian.
    29. Brook, Benedict (25 January 2022). "Giant 'freakish' whirlpool appears on side of South Australia's Stuart Highway". news.com.au. Archived from the original on 2022-01-31.
    30. "2022 Ineos Grenadier test washed out by storms, will return to Australia for heat and dust". Drive. 2022-01-28. Retrieved 2022-04-29.
    31. "Toby Ecuyer". INEOS Grenadier. 30 March 2021.
    32. 1 2 "Ineos Grenadier: meet the designer of the controversial off-roader". Autocar. Retrieved 2022-02-07.
    33. "Toby Ecuyer". INEOS Grenadier. 30 March 2021.
    34. "INEOS Grenadier's 4X4 Design Revealed". INEOS Grenadier. 1 July 2020.
    35. "Ineos Grenadier revealed as rugged off-roader for 2021". Autocar. 1 July 2020. Retrieved 5 July 2020.
    36. "Ineos Grenadier Quartermaster Pickup Debuts With BMW Inline-Six Power". Motor1.com. Retrieved 2023-09-11.
    37. Stopford, William (2023-07-13). "2024 Ineos Quartermaster price and specs: Rugged ute debuts". CarExpert. Retrieved 2023-09-11.
    38. Smith, Steven Cole (29 November 2023). "Ineos is officially building pickups, bound for sale in U.S. next year". Hagerty Media. Retrieved 18 March 2024.
    39. Malvern, Jack (2 July 2020). "Defender is back from the pub as a Grenadier". The Times .
    40. 1 2 3 4 "2023 Ineos Grenadier price and specs". CarExpert. Retrieved 2022-04-29.
    41. "Hydrogen Fuel Economy". ineosgrenadier.com. Retrieved 2022-05-02.