- Ineos will shift gears and can go upmarket with its Grenadier SUV
- Sellers reportedly requested the startup automaker to make extra unique, costly fashions
- Ineos hinted at future Grenadier variations on the 2024 Goodwood Pageant of Velocity
Ineos was born out of a mission to ship comparatively inexpensive, no-nonsense off-roaders akin to the unique Land Rover Defender, to be aimed toward each industrial patrons and fanatics.
The corporate made important progress with the launch of the Grenadier SUV earlier this decade, and had deliberate to observe it up with the Fusilier electrical SUV and a extra compact providing.
Nevertheless, assembly all of the regulatory hurdles the brand new autos would have required is proving too steep of a problem for Ineos, the corporate’s industrial director and founder, George Ratcliffe, informed Autocar in an interview revealed on Friday.
He added that the additional gross sales of these autos would have additionally taken Ineos past the brink of being a small producer, which might have resulted within the firm needing to fulfill a lot stricter carbon emission targets. In Ineos’ dwelling market of the U.Okay., it could have additionally required a minimal variety of EV gross sales.
“What we wished to realize is not attainable,” he mentioned. “With the trendy world and what you want—engines, pedestrian safety guidelines, CO2 emissions, regulation on autos—you can’t do this any extra.”
As an alternative, Ineos will concentrate on launching extra upmarket variations of the Grenadier and remaining an unique model, one thing Ineos sellers are asking for, in keeping with Ratcliffe.
The extra upmarket variations might be restricted editions, like the Grenadier Detour revealed in July. The debut mannequin from Ineos’ Arcane Works personalization division options luxurious to rival a Mercedes-Benz G-Class, and will probably be in-built a run of 200 models solely.
Ineos additionally used the 2024 Goodwood Pageant of Velocity final month to trace at further variations of the Grenadier that could be developed, like a V-8 mannequin, a rally-raid-style mannequin, and a rugged off-roader full with portal axles.
The Grenadier is at present obtainable within the U.S. with a beginning worth of $71,500. A Grenadier Quartermaster pickup can also be obtainable and priced from $86,900.
