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2 March, 2023
Rugged British 4WD prototype on display at dealer
THE latest and one of the most sought-after four-wheel-drives has arrived in the Far North.
Westco Motors in Cairns has been appointed an Ineos Grenadier retailer for the region.
Westco dealer-principal Chris King said a prototype was on display at the Mulgrave Rd dealership for two weeks only, “and we can’t wait for you to see it”.
“Gutsy, capable, tough, the Grenadier is built for the world to get the job done,” he said.
“Come and see for yourself. It’s a great chance to share more details about this rugged 4X4 with you. And for you to get to know us and what we have to offer.”
Mr King said there were limited spots and appointments were essential on https://go.westco.mobi/ineos or by phoning 4044 4121.
The Ineos Grenadier is an off-road utility vehicle designed and produced by Ineos Automotive Ltd. It went into production in July 2022.
The Grenadier was designed to be a modern replacement of the original Land Rover Defender, with boxy bodywork, a steel ladder chassis, beam axles with long-travel progressive-rate coil spring suspension (front and rear), and powered by BMW six-cylinder diesel and petrol internal combustion engines.
Ineos Automotive Ltd was founded by Sir Jim Ratcliffe, billionaire and chairman of the multinational chemicals company Ineos.
Ratcliffe came up with the idea of building a replacement for his Land Rover Defender and initiated a project to design and build a similar vehicle under the codename Projekt Grenadier.
Westco will be one of 28 outlets nationally and 160 locations around the world to sell the British designed and engineered vehicle, named after a pub. By year’s end, Ineos expects to have at least 200 sales and service sites in more than 50 countries.
Testing on the vehicle began at the start of last year and took in 15 countries, targeting the toughest terrains in the worst possible weather.
According to Ineos’ website, engineers put 130 vehicles through 1.8 million kilometres of testing and development in Sweden, Austria, Granada, Kosovo and Morocco.
The vehicle is expected to start retailing from $97,000 to $109,525 in Australia and has been described by motoring reporters as the ‘spiritual successor’ to the original Land Rover Defender, despite being independently developed. It has a five-year unlimited kilometre warranty.
The Grenadier’s marque is a ladder-frame chassis off-roader with beam axles and mechanicals described by those who’ve been behind the wheel as ‘straightforward’.
Ineos is a London-based multinational chemical company with interests in the oil and gas sectors. In 2019, Ineos founder Sir Jim Ratcliffe was at his favourite London pub, the Grenadier, wondering aloud how he was going to replace his old Land Rover Defender and believing the replacement model was ‘too soft’.
From those discussions the Grenadier was born and in less than three years the vehicle was expected to be on the market. It’s aimed at fleets and farmers as well as adventurers and those tempted by the burly demeanour of a utilitarian off-roader.
The Grenadier is a five-door wagon available in two- or fiveseat configurations – with a ute on the way.
The six-cylinder turbocharged BMW engines, either petrol or diesel, drive all four wheels. Split British and German flags on the front guards are reinforcement the company has embraced its cross-border partnership.
Having F1 champion Lewis Hamilton as part of the down’n’dirty marketing reinforces the connections and broader business dealings of Sir Jim.
Unlike many modern off-roaders, the Grenadier designed as an “uncompromising, no frills, no fuss vehicle that provides the best-in-class off-road capability, durability and utility”.
