British company Ineos Automotive is changing its development strategy 180 degrees: there will be no expansion of the model range towards more compact and affordable models, there will be no increase in production volumes either, instead, Ineos wants to become a niche manufacturer of luxury SUVs.
Ineos Automotive was founded in 2016 as a subsidiary of the large petrochemical company Ineos, which is headed by British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe, a passionate car enthusiast and a big fan of the classic, body-on-frame Land Rover Defender. The debut model of Ineos was the mid-size frame SUV Grenadier, designed with the help of the Austrian company Magna Steyr and externally reminiscent of the classic Defender. The Ineos Grenadier entered the market in 2022 and is produced at Ineos Automotive's own plant in Ambach, France (a former Mercedes-Benz plant). In 2023, the range was supplemented by the Ineos Grenadier Quartermaster pickup truck, based on an SUV.
Ineos Grenadier Quartermaster
At the time of the Grenadier SUV launch, Ineos planned to produce 30,000 to 40,000 cars per year, and after the Grenadier, the model range was to be expanded with a more compact Fusilier SUV with a monocoque body — it was planned to be offered with a fully electric and plug-in hybrid power plant of the range extender type. Last spring, Ineos also planned a third, small SUV — a conditional analogue of the Suzuki Jimny. In general, over time, Ineos was supposed to become a fairly large car manufacturer with a wide range of «hydrocarbon» and electric SUVs, the production volume was planned to increase to 300,000 cars per year!
Jim Ratcliffe in front of the Ineos Fusilier SUV prototype
Over the course of two summer months, everything changed dramatically: in early July, the company announced that the Fusilier project had been postponed indefinitely, and today, the British magazine Autocar, citing Jim Ratcliffe, reported that the junior Ineos models were being cancelled altogether. Instead, the company wants to focus on more prestigious market segments — premium and luxury.
An objective prerequisite for such a decision is the weak sales of the Grenadier. The company itself does not disclose sales data, but third-party observers have them. For example, the analytical agency JATO Dynamics, which publishes statistics on the European new passenger car market based on registration data, reports that Ineos sold only 2,351 cars in Europe in 2023, and 660 cars in the first half of 2024 (-20% compared to sales in January-June 2023).
Ineos Grenadier
The fact is that the Grenadier turned out to be too expensive for the mass market — its retail price was approximately twice the estimated one, now the SUV costs from 65,000 pounds sterling in the UK. At the same time, the Grenadier is too cheap for the luxury car market: Jim Ratcliffe, citing dealer reviews, says that the prices for the Grenadier should not be lowered, but raised, then the wealthy public will pay attention to it and start considering it on par with the Mercedes-Benz G-Class.
Ineos Grenadier Detour 1/8 
Ineos Grenadier Detour 2/8 
Ineos Grenadier Detour 3/8 
Ineos Grenadier Detour 4/8 
Ineos Grenadier Detour 5/8 
Ineos Grenadier Detour 6/8 
Ineos Grenadier Detour 7/8 
Ineos Grenadier Detour 8/8
On July 11, as part of the Goodwood Festival of Speed (UK), Ineos presented the luxury Detour version of the Grenadier SUV, it will be released in a limited edition of 200 units at a price of 134,000 pounds sterling, while the differences between the Detour version and the «common» ones are limited to a bunch of accessories, custom-made interiors made from expensive materials and other decorative customization, which is managed by the newly founded Arcane Works division. In the future, we will obviously see more special edition Grenadiers from Arcane Works.
Ineos Grenadier Detour 1/3 
Ineos Grenadier Detour 2/3 
Ineos Grenadier Detour 3/3
In an interview with Autocar, Jim Ratcliffe admits that his original idea to make the Grenadier a simple, reliable and relatively affordable «workhorse» cannot be realized today due to the environmental agenda pressing on the market and stricter requirements for new cars in the field of safety — active, passive and cybersecurity. In order to avoid paying a carbon fine and not to comply with the requirements for the mandatory share of electric cars in sales in the UK, Ineos Automotive must become a small company and offer high-margin models to the market.
For reference, we will say that in the UK, quotas for the sale of electric cars have been in effect since this year: in 2024, the share of zero-emission cars should be 22% of total new car sales, in 2025 this share will increase to 28%, in 2026 — to 33%, in 2027 — to 38%, in 2029 — to 52%. The quotas, however, do not apply to manufacturers with sales volumes of less than 2,500 cars per year. Ineos is currently well within this limit.
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