The Ineos Grenadier has been delayed

Production of the Ineos Grenadier, which was scheduled to start this year, has been delayed to July 2022. The company blames “unavoidable delays through 2020”, and claims pushing back the start of production will allow it to “achieve its rigorous testing targets”. 

Testing of the utilitarian off-roader continues, most recently at the Schöckl mountain near Graz, Austria, where Mercedes has famously tested G-Wagens for years. Ineos says the Grenadier’s testing programme will see more than 130 prototypes accumulate a combined 1.8million kilometres. They’ve already been to northern Sweden this year – Death Valley and the Middle East are next up. 

Plans to assemble the Grenadier in Wales were shelved when Ineos – a petrochemical company first and foremost, that’s never done a car before – bought an old Smart factory in Hambach, France. Engines and gearboxes for the off-roader are being sourced from BMW, and it uses and ladder-frame like a proper old-school off-roader. 

More as we have it.