Ineos, the chemical company from the UK is preparing the launch of its first automotive project, the Grenadier, it takes its name from their cycling team. A quick refresher, Ineos is the company behind the sub 2 hour Marathon race that featured the legendary athlete and record holder Eliud Kipchoge. The race ended in a new world record, making Kipchoge the first human ever to run a full marathon in less than 2 hours.
Back to the car, the Land Rover Defender-inspired Grenadier is poised to be an off-roader that Ineos will sell globally. The initial version is a two seater that starts at £48,000 and a five seater will also be available from £53,000.
This price is of interest since the base version of a Defender starts at £50,000, its numerous add ons can shoot that price up pretty fast. However, the Ineos Grenadier is not only cheaper, but also come well equipped even in the base versions.
“You will not need to add tens of thousands to get what you want”, says Head of Sales and Marketing Gary Pearson.
Powering the Grenadier will be a 3.0-liter inline-six gasoline engine sourced from BMW for the US market. In other parts of the world, there is a 3.0-liter diesel variant and a petrol version will follow. The straight-six gas engine is partnered exclusively to a eight-speed automatic. Testing and development is being done in Austria by Steyr, the same people who worked on the capable Mercedes G-Class and on the same tracks, too.
