New Ineos Small electric 4x4 set to join Grenadier

Ineos primes compact EV 4x4. Smaller sibling of Defender-rivalling Grenadier off-roader to use new BEV platform.

Ineos will follow up the Grenadier – due to arrive in a matter of weeks – with a new, electric and more compact 4x4. CEO Sir Jim Ratcliffe confirmed plans to expand the model range beyond the flagship Grenadier with a smaller SUV using an “all-new” EV platform but offering comparable off-road ability and with a similar utilitarian focus.

“What we’re looking at quite carefully at the moment is a smaller version of the Grenadier – electric,” he said. “We need to embrace the future, which clearly in an urban environment is going to be electric. But even in a country environment, if you’re a farmer, you probably will have an electric vehicle that you can drive on tracks and things like that. So you want one that’s capable, but it’s electric. That’s our vision at the moment.”

The Grenadier is heavily inspired by the Land Rover Defender, which has long been available in a range of sizes, and so Ineos looks now to be lining up its own take on the shorter Defender 90.

The EV will be built alongside passenger and commercial versions of the Grenadier at Ineos’s factory in Hambach, France, but the firm has yet to give a projected timeframe for its market introduction. Nor has it dropped any hints as to where it will source EV drivetrain components. It’s already working with Hyundai on hydrogen fuel-cell tech (see below) and BMW supplies the Grenadier’s straight-six petrol and diesel engines, making both marques contenders to provide Ineos with an existing EV platform from their respective portfolios.

With the Grenadier rivalling the likes of the Defender 110, Jeep Wrangler and Mercedes- Benz G-Class, the stage is set for this new entry-level model to take on the Dacia Duster and Suzuki Jimny in the compact 4x4 segment – although crucially it will stand out by virtue of its electric power and will likely be a more expensive proposition as a result.

It could even be badged as a smaller derivative of the Grenadier, much like Ford’s Bronco off-roader and more lifestyle-focused Bronco Sport, which use different platforms.

Second Ineos model will be unique in segment as an EV