Ineos Automotive has confirmed it plans to build a smaller version of its Grenadier SUV that will be all-electric. The plan was revealed by company founder Sir Jim Ratcliffe,
In his first video interview since the project started, Sir Jim sat with presenter Mark Evans in the final episode of Building The Grenadier, a series dedicated to sharing the development journey of the Grenadier – dubbed the spiritual successor to the old Land Rover Defender – with customers and enthusiasts. The new model will use an all-new smaller platform than the Grenadier while retaining its workhorse DNA and off-road capabilities.
Launch timings are yet to be confirmed. The plans underscore Ineos‘s long-term commitment to the automotive industry.
READ MORE: Jaguar Land Rover unveils giant Land Rover Defender – and it can seat eight people
The second model line will be produced alongside the Grenadier and Grenadier pick-up at the company’s Hambach plant in France. Ineos continues to back hydrogen fuel cells as the clean powertrain solution for future versions of the Grenadier.
A fuel cell technology demonstrator is due to begin on- and off-road testing by the end of 2022. Acknowledged as a keen off-road enthusiast by Mark Evans, Sir Jim explained the reason he decided to take the plunge with the Grenadier project and invest a billion dollars.
“I spend time in off-road vehicles and there aren’t many choices anymore,” he said. “There’s a lot of the world need to drive vehicles off-road.
“All the car companies are all making luxury SUVs. They’re making 4x4s but not cars you can take off-road. So, there was a big hole in the marketplace I thought.”
Asked about Ineos Automotive’s future plans Sir Jim revealed details of the smaller SUV that is in the pipeline. He said: “What we are also looking at, at the moment, is a smaller version of the Grenadier – electric. We need to embrace the future, which clearly in an urban environment is going to be electric.
“But even in a country environment and you’re a farmer you probably will have an electric car which you can drive around on the tracks and things like that, so you want one that that’s capable but that is electric. So, I think that’s our vision at the moment.”