The Ineos Grenadier SUV will have short-wheelbase and all-electric versions

By Lukas Müller On May 28, 2022

Earlier this week, we talked about the preparation for serial production of the Grenadier frame SUV at the plant of the British company Ineos Automotive in French Ambach, and now it became known about the preparation of new modifications of the Grenadier, which had not previously been reported.

The Ineos Grenadier is already well known to our readers: it is a solid-axle SUV developed on the basis of the classic Land Rover Defender with the participation of the Austrian company Magna Steyr (its plant in Graz produces the Mercedes-Benz G-Class, and the genes of this car are also visible in the Grenadier). Development, which lasted more than three years, is completed, pre-orders began in September last year, and the start of mass production in Ambach is scheduled for July this year. First off the assembly line will be 5-door SUVs in passenger and commercial versions, equipped with 6-cylinder in-line petrol and diesel engines from BMW. Next year, it is planned to dominate the production of the Grenadier station wagon with a two-row cab.

Prototype Ineos Grenadier with hydrogen power plant.

Last October, Ineos Automotive announced a hydrogen version of the Grenadier and even showed off a prototype powered by Hyundai's electrochemical generator. Field tests of the hydrogen machine will start at the end of 2022. According to Automotive News Europe, citing Ineos Automotive Commercial Director Mark Tennant, along with the hydrogen version, a traditional electric version will also be produced, meaning the battery version of the Grenadier will also be tested later this year.

Tennant believes a decent-capacity battery will add about a ton to the SUV's weight, but the company is looking forward to progress in battery development and the ability to reduce weight in the future.

Ineos Automotive CEO Dirk Heilmann adds that the Grenadier's hydrogen power plant will prove to be more profitable in the long run because it doesn't add weight to the car, and refueling with hydrogen takes a few minutes. However, the battery version is also needed, constantly in demand by customers, and it is possible to start production of the battery version much earlier than the hydrogen one. In addition, the battery-powered version will allow Ineos Automotive to increase production of SUVs for the European market without risking a carbon fine. If only versions with internal combustion engines are produced, then in Europe you can sell no more than 10 thousand passenger SUVs per year and no more than 22 thousand commercial ones, an annual fine is imposed on these volumes.

Heilmann said that a production hydrogen version of the Grenadier won't see the light of day until 2027, and it's not certain that Hyundai will supply parts for its power plant: the British will be looking for the most cost-effective solution and performance. The battery version will hit the market much earlier, but Ineos Automotive executives are not yet ready to give an exact date.

It is curious that a short-wheelbase 3-door Grenadier may appear next to the electric version. In combination with an internal combustion engine, a short-wheelbase version is impossible for design reasons: the 8-speed ZF hydromechanical “automatic”, which comes with BMW engines, is too big; cross-axle differential — completely original). There will be no suspensions in the battery version, so you can safely “cut” the base. However, it is possible that for versions with internal combustion engines, the company will find a way out of the design impasse and, as a result, will offer the three-door coveted by many.