► Smaller 4×4 under development
► Ineos electric will be built alongside petrol and diesel
► Testing of hydrogen prototype begins later this year
Ineos Automotive has confirmed plans for two electric 4x4s in the coming years. As well as an electric Grenadier 4×4, the brand has announced a smaller electric 4×4 is on the way in 2026.
The aim is to keep the same function-first approach with upcoming Ineos electric cars, and the same rugged off-road ability. The rugged 4×4 maker confirmed that the new smaller electric 4×4 model would be built by Magna at its facility in Graz, Austria – the same plant that manufactures the i-Pace for Jaguar. It’s also, most interestingly, where the G-Class is built for Mercedes-Benz. In fact, Ineos says that the new battery-electric 4×4 will be ‘capable of conquering the formidable Schöckl mountain close to Magna’s Austrian headquarters,’ which is the same location Merc uses to approve its G.
In an Ineos promotional video, the billionaire industrialist told interview Mark Evans: ‘I think the Grenadier is perfect for a hydrogen engine in time. But what we’re also looking at quite carefully at the moment is a smaller version of the Grenadier, electric.
‘We need to embrace the future, which clearly in an urban environment is going to be electric. But even in a country environment, when you’re a farmer, you probably will have an electric car which you can drive around on tracks and things like that. You’ll want one which is capable, but it’s electric. I think that’s our vision at the moment.’
Ineos Grenadier: hydrogen fuel cell model in development
Sir Jim’s Ineos empire is big in hydrogen, and has long been open about its aim of Ineos Automotive creating a hydrogen fuel cell version of the Grenadier. During the three years since Ineos announced it was getting petrol and diesel engines from BMW, it was initially very negative about the prospects of an electric version, given the range and charging challenges some of its more remote users would face.
But in recent months that line has softened, and now Ineos has bowed to the inevitable. It says electric Grenadiers will be built alongside diesel and petrol versions at the factory in Hambach, France, where the first customer cars are about to start rolling out of the doors.
The BMW deal includes switching to hybrids later in the decade. Meanwhile, the hydrogen option will take a step closer to reality with on- and off-road testing set to commence later this year.