Ineos Grenadier SUV Production Kicks Off with BMW Power

• Ineos Automotive begins series production of the Grenadier SUV in Hambach, France, after a few delays.

• Powered by BMW inline six-cylinder engines, the Grenadier is meant to be a rugged 4x4 in the style of the previous-generation Land Rover Defender that exited production in 2016.

• Ineos is setting up a dealership and service network in a number of regions, ahead of first deliveries in December of this year.

Ineos reveals it has kicked off series production of the Grenadier SUV, delivering on a promise to produce a rugged but modern SUV in the mold of the old Land Rover Defender. The new 4x4 is now being produced at a former Mercedes-Benz plant in Hambach, France, that Ineos purchased in December 2020, with the first customer deliveries just a few weeks away.

"Global supply chain issues continue to constrain output, but customer deliveries in volume are expected from early December," Ineos said.

The brainchild of Ineos founder and Chairman Sir Jim Ratcliffe, the SUV is named for The Grenadier Pub in London, in which it was first sketched out on a napkin in 2017, not too long after Land Rover ended production of the Defender model.

The new 4x4, intended to carry on the spirit of the Defender, is powered by a turbocharged 3.0-liter inline six-cylinder engine sourced from BMW, good for 280 hp and 330 lb-ft of torque, paired with a ZF eight-speed automatic transmission. The Grenadier will initially be offered as a five-seat station wagon and also as a two-seat utility wagon, offering permanent four-wheel drive along with a center locking differential as standard features.