Forget an electric Grenadier in the short-term; the brand’s all-new electric vehicle will be a dedicated EV – in 2026
The next all-new model line from INEOS Automotive will be an EV.
And while it won’t share its platform or mechanicals with the new INEOS Grenadier wagon or the upcoming dual-cab ute, it will have genuine off-road credentials and at least a familial resemblance.
That’s the inside line from INEOS Automotive execs, including the greenfield start-up’s automotive head of engineering, Oliver Schlipf.
Schlipf told carsales reports that INEOS would electrify a ‘shortie’ version of the Grenadier are mistaken. Instead, the first zero tailpipe emissions INEOS production vehicle will be a battery-electric 4×4 wagon which will slot in underneath the Grenadier in terms of size.
“This is a completely new car. For sure, you will recognise it’s [from] the same company, the same family, but it’s a new car,” Schlipf told carsales.
The INEOS engineering chief confirmed the new vehicle would be smaller than the Grenadier but would not be drawn on its exact size, performance or range targets. Insiders describe it as “three-quarters the size”.
“It is a battery-electric [vehicle] on a skateboard [platform]… But still with the goal to have best-in-class 4×4 [capabilities],” Schlipf told carsales.
“From an engineering perspective, it will be a challenge definitely to have a very good 4×4 [performance] on a skateboard [platform]. [But] Even the specification is not completely done. We’re still trying to figure out the right spec – we’re in the design phase,” he revealed.
Schlipf would not elaborate on technologies the new EV would use, but ruled out exotic solid-state batteries. He confirmed INEOS is, however, looking at a range of existing and emerging battery chemistries and EV drivetrain technologies.
“We are still finding the right partners,” he commented.
INEOS commercial chief Mark Tennant was a little more forthcoming on the new model range.
“One swallow does not make a summer. We cannot be a credible OEM with one product line. We’re doing a [Grenadier] ute; the bakkie [South African term for a ute] is coming next. We are working on a BEV as well.
“It will have off-road very close to the centre of its capability. It will have a decent ground clearance and we are pretty close to signing off exterior design,” Tennant stated.
The first battery-electric INEOS will come to market in 2026, Tennant confirmed.
In the meantime, despite building an EV prototype, the new car-maker has ruled out an electrified version of Grenadier – at least for the foreseeable future.
With its six-cylinder Grenadier powertrains BMW-sourced, the potential to use the German marque’s four-cylinder plug-in hybrid system is not lost on Schlipf.
“I would not completely say we will never do it, but at the moment we don’t really think a hybrid engine with the additional weight really suits the purpose of our vehicle…
“We know we are not building a vehicle for everybody,” he stated with a smile.
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Keyword: INEOS EV will be a standalone model