Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s new 4WD gives Ineos a lift into the automobile industry
John Kalinga via Wikipedia
British entrepreneur Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s Ineos group is adding a new string to its bow with its 4WD Grenadier.
While Sir Jim Ratcliffe recently announced his intention to invest in green hydrogen, the Monegasque resident and owner of OGC Nice is also about to step into the automotive arena.
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The project to create the Grenadier 4WD, with a combustion engine, started in 2017. Pre-orders began on September 30, already attractiving more than 70,000 customers around the world, according to Shashi Vaidyanathan, CEO of Ineos for France and Benelux.
Manufacture of these all-terrain vehicles will be carried out in France, at the former Smart factory in Hambach, with the first pre-series models due to come out by the end of 2021.
Essentially utility vehicles
Sales are expected to cover five regions of the world, in particular Europe and North America, with client deliveries in July 2022 at the earliest.
Designed for essentially utilitarian purposes, these vehicles, available from 59,500 euros, are intended in particular for craftsmen, farmers, firefighters or even business owners. The creation of sales and after-sales networks is still in progress; dealers who distribute the BMW or Mercedes-Benz brands are very interested in a partnership, according to Shashi Vaidyanathan.