INEOS Grenadier, the off-road bet from a brand newly born in Wales

The birth of a car brand is always a good idea. INEOS Automotive is a subsidiary of INEOS Group, a Welsh company dealing in chemicals, petrochemicals and oil, which has joined forces with the adventurous and entrepreneurial Jim Ratcliffe. Its goal is to create an off-road vehicle that shuns frills and is truly efficient, and that can move freely across the most demanding terrain. And that vehicle, although it has not yet been unveiled, already has a name.

The INEOS Grenadier will become a great off-road vehicle, which will pursue that efficiency across off-road terrain, but without resorting to luxury equipment. A vehicle designed for adventure and off-road mobility, so that drivers who want to face the thrill have before them the chance to discover a truly British vehicle with real spirit. The name Grenadier comes from a pub where the origin of the model and of the company itself was conceived.

The main components of the INEOS Grenadier will be manufactured in Bridgend, South Wales. In that town a site has been found on which the brand’s main plant will be built, and it is expected to be operational in 2021. That same year the model should be ready and prepared to enter production, so that it can be delivered to buyers within a few weeks. A challenge that will be helped by the creation of a plant located outside the United Kingdom, in the Portuguese town of Estarreja.

In these two plants the chassis and bodywork will be produced, but the brand has already confirmed that agreements will be signed with companies across Europe to ensure that all the necessary equipment is present in the INEOS Grenadier. The arrival of a new British brand will help the British automotive industry, which will suffer considerably from Brexit. It is still too early to see exactly what INEOS has in store for us, but a truly off-road vehicle, with the spirit of the original Land Rover Defender, could well prove very appealing to those who want to test themselves behind the wheel.