The Ineos Grenadier – the spiritual successor to the classic Land Rover Defender – is now officially on the assembly lines. After months of issues related to global supply chain disruptions, the off-roader finally reaches the stage of mass production at the company’s facility in Hambach. The first customer deliveries are expected in early December this year, though the SUV will arrive in the United States at a later date.
“We’ve come a long way since the project kicked off in 2017 and this is a landmark moment for Ineos Automotive as a vehicle manufacturer,” Ineos Automotive’s commercial director, Mark Tennant, comments. “To get to this point is a testament to the resilience and hard work of the entire Ineos Automotive team, our development partners, and our suppliers – for which we thank them all as we now look forward to making our first deliveries to customers.”
Gallery: Ineos Grenadier start of production
The automaker will sell its old-school off-roader through a network of over 200 sales and service centers around the world. The company already has agreements signed with retailers in Europe, Africa, Asia Pacific, and the Middle East with at least 75,000 people expressing an interest in buying the Grenadier in the last several months. The good news is Ineos Automotive is also working to find a partner for the North American market and we hope to hear official news about a US entry in the coming months.
Depending on the market, the Grenadier will be available with two inline-six engines. Both come from BMW and Europe will get both options – a gas and a diesel mill, both mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission and a permanent all-wheel drive with a two-speed transfer case and three differential locks. The US market will only get the B58 twin-turbo gas unit with 281 horsepower (210 kW) and 332 pound-feet (450 Newton-meters) of torque. The diesel, in turn, has 245 hp (183 kW) and 406 lb-ft (550 Nm) of twist.
Ineos Automotive has one more important task before the end of the year. The automaker will begin on- and off-road testing of the Grenadier Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle (FCEV) Concept with a hydrogen fuel cell powertrain. We will hopefully learn more about it in the coming weeks.
