Ineos plans to introduce electric 4×4 with Grenadier’s ‘workhorse DNA and off-road capabilities’
It will be smaller than the existing model but retain its utilitarian outlook.
Ineos Automotive has announced that it will build an electric off-roader that shares a similar utilitarian ethos to its Grenadier 4×4.
Speaking in a video uploaded to the firm’s website, Ineos CEO and chairman Sir Jim Ratcliffe explained that the model should appeal to those who drive in the city as well as the countryside.
He said: “One thing we’re looking at at the moment is a smaller version of the Grenadier that is electric. We need to embrace the future, which is clearly, in an urban environment, going to be electric.
“But even in a country environment, if you’re a farmer, you probably will have an electric car which you can drive around on tracks and things like that, so you want something that’s capable and electric. I think that’s our vision at the moment.”
Ineos has also confirmed that the EV model would use a new platform that’s smaller than the one used on the Grenadier. However, it would retain that model’s ‘workhorse DNA and off-road capabilities’.
The firm says the move shows its ‘long-term commitment to the automotive industry’ and said the EV would be produced alongside the Grenadier and Grenadier pick-up at its plant in Hambach, France.
As well as this electric model, Ratcliffe noted that Ineos was investigating hydrogen power for the Grenadier, with a prototype set to begin testing before the end of the year. However, an electric powertrain does not appear to be in that model’s future.
The Grenadier went on sale in the UK earlier this month, priced from £49,000. It’s a rugged 4×4 designed for people who need a utilitarian off-roader. It was the brainchild of Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who thought there was a gap in the market for such a vehicle, and has been in the works for about five years.
