Ineos Grenadier: UK dealers named ahead of July launch
Firm signs up 24 locations to sell 4x4 across the UK; orders open in May
Ineos will open its first UK Grenadier retailer in June ahead of the off-roader’s market launch in July. The firm has today announced 24 outlets across the country, which will be based in existing Ferrari, Audi, BMW and Ford dealerships.
Priced from £48,000, this is the first vehicle from Ineos, which says it wants customers to be “within 45 minutes of an official location”, and is ramping up its network with a “backbone of selling partners”.
That entry price is for the two-seat version of the commercial Grenadier (including VAT), which will be sold alongside a five-seat crew-cab commercial variant and the full-size passenger-carrying SUV.
Full pricing will be confirmed in the coming days, Ineos says, along with full technical specifications. Pre-registration began last September, but orders will open fully in May.
Retailers include Jardine Ferrari in Colchester and Sevenoaks, Day’s Audi in Neath, Halliwell Jones BMW in Chester, and Harwoods Ford in Portsmouth. They make up a sizeable portion of the 160 locations Ineos has signed up globally, and will be supplemented by a further 10 UK locations. The firm says it wants to have 200 globally by the end of 2022. It has not yet confirmed which UK location will be the first to open.
“We have worked tirelessly for over a year to find retail partners in the UK that share our enthusiasm and excitement for the Grenadier,” said Gary Pearson, Ineos's head of sales and marketing.
First customer deliveries will get under way in the final quarter of 2022, and the company envisages an eventual annual sales peak in the UK of 6000 units, skewed towards commercial variants. Ineos plans to "make the buying process as convenient and painless as possible" with an equal focus on providing a digital retail model and a physical dealer network.
In addition, Ineos has partnered with Bosch to provide aftersales support and plans to open 14 service-only facilities across the UK, although these locations have yet to be announced. Globally, Grenadier owners will be able to have their car repaired and maintained at some 10,000 Bosch outlets in 150 counties.
Outside of the UK, Ineos is exploring the possibility for BMW technicians to service the Grenadier, which is available with a choice of BMW straight-six petrol and diesel engines.
Pearson previously explained that the Grenadier's predominantly built-to-order production model means the company won't be "proactively building stock", because customers "will want to do their own thing". He suggested that lead times will be in line with what is "typical" of other manufacturers.
He also told Autocar that although Ineos is "not insulated" from the ongoing global semiconductor shortage, it has factored in any potential delays that might arise from the situation and is "very happy" that it will meet its proposed deadlines.
As for future powertrain options, Ineos remains committed to a simple petrol-and-diesel offering from launch. Pearson suggested that although "electric technology has moved on hugely in the last few years", an EV drivetrain wouldn't yet be compatible with the weight, functionality and intended use case of the Grenadier.
Ineos does, however, have a fuel cell development partnership in place with Hyundai, which Pearson said has "no marketing spin around it". Ineos, he said, "wants to be at the forefront of developing the hydrogen economy".
Ineos is primarily a chemical engineering firm, producing 300,000 tonnes of hydrogen per year, and is engaged in a project to develop Europe's "clean hydrogen" network.