Sir Jim Ratcliffe had a simple idea in mind when he started Ineos Automotive, his passion-project car company. Dismayed that the beloved Land Rover Defender had gone out of production in 2015, the petrochemicals billionaire set out to create his own version. His would be a car made for real, off-road adventures, delivering a riposte to the curvy, “luxury SUVs” produced today by the likes of Range Rover.
The result was the angular Grenadier 4x4, launched in 2022 with a starting price of £65,000. It even came with its own legend: Sir Jim claimed to have come up with the idea over a pint with friends while sitting in a London pub of the same name. The car’s main selling point is summed up neatly on the landing page of Ineos Automotive’s website: “They don’t make 4x4s like this anymore.
” There is just one small problem: at the moment, they don’t make them at all. Ineos confirmed earlier this month that its car factory in Hambach, France, after one of its key suppliers ran into financial difficulties. The production crisis has dealt a fresh blow to the company in what has been a difficult year in more than one respect.
In July Ineos announced it was delaying the launch of the Fusilier electric vehicle (EV) indefinitely, blaming weak consumer demand and tough regulations that might prevent the car from using a petrol-fueled range-extender. At the same time, the company suffered a fall in sales across Europe as a wave of pent up demand that followed the pandemic pet.