How the Not-a-Land-Rover-Defender Ineos Grenadier Is Getting Off the Ground
The high-tech art of building an old-school off-roader in a modern factory.
Land Rover Defender enthusiast Jim Ratcliffe wasn't happy when JLR finally stopped production of the storied off-roader in 2016, ending a 68-year run that had seen more than two million of them made. He'd heard the all-new Defender, then under development, would be an expensive, slickly styled, high-tech 4x4 with a fully independent suspension. That wasn't going to be, he thought, his sort of Defender.
0:00 / 0:00
So Ratcliffe did what any self-respecting billionaire would do in that situation: He decided to make his own, the Ineos Grenadier.
"I got the call at the end of 2016," Ineos Automotive CEO Dirk Heilmann said. At the time, Heilmann had been with Ineos—the global chemical company founded in 1998 by Ratcliffe, who still owns two-thirds the business—for 15 years as an engineering and technology manager for one of its operations. "Jim was really sad that JLR was vacating the traditional Defender market," Heilmann said, "and wanted to know whether it would be possible for us to build a replacement. 'How can we do this?' he asked. 'Can this be done? I've been told it can't be done. '"
It can. Fast-forward to February 2022, and Heilmann has just overseen the first production trial build of the Ineos Grenadier at the Ineos Automotive factory in Hambach, France, a stone's throw from the German border.
The factory was originally completed in 1997 by Mercedes-Benz to build tiny Smart cars and had been the subject of a $535 million upgrade in preparation for production of the Mercedes-EQ EQB compact electric SUV. Mercedes changed strategy, however, electing to build the EQB alongside its internal combustion cousin, the GLB, at its plant in Kecskemét, Hungary. And in late 2020, it agreed to sell the plant to Ineos, with the proviso the new owner continue to manufacture under contract the existing Smart ForTwo and ForFour models.
"It was a no-brainer," Ineos Automotive commercial director Mark Tennant said of the decision to buy the Hambach plant, which not only came complete with a new, fully automated body assembly hall with 250 robots and a new, state-of-the-art semi-automated paint shop, but also a 2000-strong workforce with 20 years' experience building automobiles. Ineos has since spent a further $56 million on updating the factory to build the bigger and heavier Grenadier, but that process has taken a lot less time than building a factory from scratch.
"It took us eight months to do this," says manufacturing engineering manager Steven Wilkinson, as robots in the assembly hall are being readied to begin the second production trial build, which aims to emulate actual production cycles. "That's pretty rapid."
Official start of production, when vehicles that can be sold to customers are built in the factory, is scheduled for July. Operating on two shifts a day, Hambach will be able to build 32,000 Grenadiers a year. Given Ineos already has 15,000 expressions of interest for the car—the U.S. accounts for about a quarter of those—the factory's going to be busy from the get-go.
A lot of time and effort is being spent to ensure the plant has robust quality control systems. "We're building a car, but we're also building a car company," Tennant said. "As a new brand it is critical we are on top of things from the outset, because first impressions last."
First Grenadiers off the line will all be four-doors built on a 115.0-inch wheelbase. The volume seller is expected to be the five-seat Wagon, which is the main "civilian" variant. Two commercial versions will be available: the five-seat Utility, which has its rear seat moved forward to increase load space, and the two-seat Utility, which has no rear seating at all. Both Utility versions can be quickly identified by the steel panels in place of the Wagon's rear quarter windows.
All models will be available with either 281-hp gasoline or 245-hp diesel turbocharged 3.0-liter straight-sixes sourced from BMW that drive all four wheels through a ZF eight-speed automatic transmission and a Tremec two-speed transfer case. Available wheels are 17- and 18-inch in either steel or alloy, each of which can be fitted with either Bridgestone Dueller A/T or BF Goodrich KO2 tires.
Ineos insiders remain tight-lipped about additional Grenadier models, but a crew-cab pickup is known to be under development. The wheelbase has reportedly been stretched to about 127 inches, and spy shots show a long rear overhang. The company is also working on a chassis-cab variant that will allow fitment of aftermarket aluminum beds or bodywork for camping or overlanding.
Insiders admit the company is, in response to requests from the U.S., looking at offering a third-row option for the Grenadier Wagon. And body engineers concede the Grenadier's two-piece bodyside makes a single-cab body easy to engineer.
What about a two-door, short-wheelbase Grenadier? The body-on-frame construction makes that a relatively simple engineering project, but that doesn't appear to be on the menu. Jeep's short-wheelbase Wrangler is a strong seller, mainly for historical reasons, but the short-wheelbase versions of the Land Rover Defender and Toyota Land Cruiser sell in relatively small numbers compared with their long-wheelbase counterparts.
Ineos Automotive might be a startup, but it's being run by experienced people—the CVs of the senior management team include stints at Mercedes-Benz, Bentley, and Finnish contract manufacturer Valmet Automotive, among others. They know how to run factories and build cars.
The only question to answer now is: How does the Ineos Grenadier drive? Well, we've had a brief stint behind the wheel, off-roading a prototype, so come back on February 22 to find out what we think.
I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t fascinated by cars. My father was a mechanic, and some of my earliest memories are of handing him wrenches as he worked to turn a succession of down-at-heel secondhand cars into reliable family transportation. Later, when I was about 12, I’d be allowed to back the Valiant station wagon out onto the street and drive it around to the front of the house to wash it. We had the cleanest Valiant in the world.
I got my driver’s license exactly three months after my 16th birthday in a Series II Land Rover, ex-Australian Army with no synchro on first or second and about a million miles on the clock. “Pass your test in that,” said Dad, “and you’ll be able to drive anything.” He was right. Nearly four decades later I’ve driven everything from a Bugatti Veyron to a Volvo 18-wheeler, on roads and tracks all over the world. Very few people get the opportunity to parlay their passion into a career. I’m one of those fortunate few.
I started editing my local car club magazine, partly because no-one else would do it, and partly because I’d sold my rally car to get the deposit for my first house, and wanted to stay involved in the sport. Then one day someone handed me a free local sports paper and said they might want car stuff in it. I rang the editor and to my surprise she said yes. There was no pay, but I did get press passes, which meant I got into the races for free. And meet real automotive journalists in the pressroom. And watch and learn.
It’s been a helluva ride ever since. I’ve written about everything from Formula 1 to Sprint Car racing; from new cars and trucks to wild street machines and multi-million dollar classics; from global industry trends to secondhand car dealers. I’ve done automotive TV shows and radio shows, and helped create automotive websites, iMags and mobile apps. I’ve been the editor-in-chief of leading automotive media brands in Australia, Great Britain, and the United States. And I’ve enjoyed every minute of it. The longer I’m in this business the more astonished I am these fiendishly complicated devices we call automobiles get made at all, and how accomplished they have become at doing what they’re designed to do. I believe all new cars should be great, and I’m disappointed when they’re not. Over the years I’ve come to realize cars are the result of a complex interaction of people, politics and process, which is why they’re all different. And why they continue to fascinate me.Read More