The novelty of the week: Ineos Grenadier

It is not common for companies outside of automobile manufacturing to embark on such a project. But sometimes it works. The best example is Tesla, which has managed to market its services and software in the form of electric cars, and which is doing quite well. Ineos is not on the same register. Rather, it is a group that operates in chemicals, lubricants and gas. It also acts as a supplier to certain automobile manufacturers, particularly in Formula 1 for Mercedes. He is also present in cycling (Tour de France), where he has entered his own team. An international group made up of 36 subsidiaries, Ineos has set up the one dedicated to automobiles in Germany, in Cologne. However, it is indeed in France that the Grenadier, its first model, will be produced.

A surprising interior

Inside, it feels like an army vehicle. The Grenadier combines the presentation of the main functions in the most rustic way, using large knobs, with a large touch screen at the top of the dashboard and a multifunction steering wheel. It also has numerous controls on the ceiling, on a large roof console. Even if the car is large, the habitability is not great, unlike a trunk whose approved capacity we do not yet know. Equipped with a plastic floor, which can be hosed down, this large 4×4 will also offer, as an option, two opening skylights on the roof, with removable windows. This will allow the occupants to stand up in the car. The upholstery seems quite basic, as does the list of equipment. Electronic driving aids will be reduced to the strict regulatory minimum, but may evolve over time. It is not his priority, nor undoubtedly that of future buyers.

The Grenadier is above all a professional vehicle, by which I mean rustic and dedicated to forest guards, or even firefighters in the most difficult to access areas. Interestingly, it will give its owners free rein to transform it or equip it with specific equipment, without itself offering ranges of accessories. If this is a common practice in the world of heavy goods vehicles, when a company buys a bare chassis and has it bodyworked or equipped by a specialist, it is unprecedented in the automobile industry. Here, Ineos supplies the car with the bodywork, but it will be able, thanks to side rails and a fairly bare interior, to accommodate different equipment. Note that the roof was also designed to accommodate a gallery capable of supporting 150 kg, which is a great achievement.

Made in France, German engines

The Grenadier prototypes are currently assembled at equipment manufacturer Magna Steyr in Austria. Ineos needs this 4×4 specialist who also produces the Mercedes G-Class (and previously the Jeep Grand Cherokee) to continue learning before moving into series production. To do this, in December 2020 it bought the Smart factory in Hambach (57), where the electric Fortwo and some parts of the Mercedes EQC are still manufactured. In 2024, Daimler will have definitively left the premises, and Ineos will then have the opportunity to gain momentum and will be able to offer other silhouettes of its Grenadier, or even other models. It will then be capable of producing 25 to 000 vehicles annually.

4,93 m long, 1,93 m wide and 2,03 m high, the machine has a large wheelbase of 2,93 m. It could also be offered in two distinct lengths, and therefore in 7 seats. Built on a ladder chassis and equipped with rigid axles, it will be available with two 6-cylinder twin-turbo engines from BMW: a 285 hp petrol unit or a 249 hp diesel. The two engines are coupled in series to an 8-speed automatic transmission, the control of which is the same as that present on board the Bavarian productions. As a good all-terrain vehicle intended for adventurers, the Grenadier receives permanent all-wheel drive with transfer case and three differentials, one of which (the central one) can lock mechanically. This mechanical/electronic mix allows it to offer, on paper, a very interesting off-road technological package.

Sleight of hand

From 1^er January 2022, all cars emitting more than 219 g of CO₂/km will receive a penalty of 40 euros in France, which will increase to 000 euros in 50. According to our estimates, the Ineos Grenadier range should start below 000 euros excluding tax, and of course its two engines will exceed this fateful threshold in terms of emissions. However, this is without taking into account the law on utility vehicles, which Ineos will exploit by approving its cars as such, and therefore with a ban on transformation (no modification of the number of places on the registration document). Thus, the first Grenadier will be two-seater, but a five-seat version will follow. Jeep has just pulled a similar stunt with the Wrangler Gladiator, approved as a four-seater, and therefore without penalty and with partly recoverable VAT.

Les Grenadier vendus en France seront dans leur immense majorité immatriculés de cette façon, néanmoins le constructeur britannique va aussi ouvrir son carnet de commandes aux particuliers. D’ailleurs, on peut déjà le précommander sur le site de la marque, contre un acompte de 450 euros. À ce jour, aucune version électrifiée n’est prévue, même si Ineos dit travailler sur un projet hydrogène avec le coréen Hyundai.

Business for everyone

Stylistically, the Grenadier is reminiscent of the older generation Land Rover Defender. But that does not bother the Englishwoman who, on the one hand, has evolved its flagship model towards something much more luxurious, and on the other because it will eventually benefit from the potential success of the Ineos. In France, this new arrival plans to open around ten dealerships, but maintenance will be carried out entirely by partners. BMW for engines, the Bosch Car Service network for day-to-day operations, and Land Rover for all transmission and off-road features. In other words, Ineos relies on already established allies, a bit like certain Chinese manufacturers do (see Special report, AH n°2333). Will this new brand be successful? It seems that it has already received a lot of requests from investors, in a niche market where there is demand. And then if the penalty exists in France, Ineos gets around it and the other European countries are more relaxed on the subject. At a time when the automobile industry is getting bogged down in considerations that smooth out the driver's emotions, developing a business in pure 4×4, for Sunday adventurers and professionals alike, is refreshing.

To remember

• Ienos is an English petrochemical group
• The Grenadier is a “professional”, utility vehicle, without penalty
• Basic price under 50 euros excluding tax (estimate)
• Sold to individuals (penalty of 40 euros)
• Made in France in the former Smart factory in Hambach (57)
• Orders (Reservations) open, first deliveries in July 2022