Ineos Announces Plans for Two New SUVs and Potential U.S. Factory

Ineos Automotive Considering U.S. Factory for Grenadier Models

Potential U.S. Factory

Ineos Automotive CEO Lynn Calder has confirmed the British 4×4 company is considering building a factory in the U.S. to manufacture its Grenadier Quartermaster pickup as well as the Grenadier SUV wagon. The Quartermaster would be positioned in America as a rival to the Jeep Wrangler-based Gladiator pickup truck.

Speaking at the Financial Times Future of the Car Summit in London, Calder said Ineos was looking at expanding its manufacturing footprint beyond its current factory in Hambach, France, and that a U.S plant could boost sales in what was already the biggest market in the world for the Grenadier SUV.

“Are we interested in the U.S.? Absolutely,” said Calder. Although Ineos was also considering building a plant in China, Calder said duties on imported pickups gave added incentive to prioritizing a plan to build the Quartermaster. “That’s probably the biggest driver for us,” she confirmed.

Grenadier Quartermaster

Calder believes the Quartermaster, which is currently not available in the U.S., would be a strong seller alongside the Grenadier wagon. “We think it would do very well,” she said. The body-on-frame Quartermaster can also be built as a cab-chassis version that can be fitted with a tray top or a camper body.

Future Models

Calder also confirmed Ineos is planning two new 4×4 models for launch after the recently announced Fusilier goes on sale in 2027. Though she did not provide any detail, Calder said one model will be smaller than the Grenadier, and one will be larger, which suggests it will likely offer three-row seating. Both will be highly off-road capable 4×4 vehicles, though not quite as hardcore as the Grenadier and Grenadier Quartermaster, which have coil-sprung live axles front and rear.

A mid-size off-roader, the Fusilier is being designed as an electric vehicle and will be built on an all-new skateboard platform. But a version will be available with an internal combustion range extender engine that operates to charge the battery, not drive the wheels, much like the powertrain concept used in the Chevy Volt. The range extender version will have a smaller battery that can alone power the mid-size SUV for about 170 miles, with the internal combustion engine then used as a generator to send power to the battery while the vehicle is on the move. The all-electric Fusilier will have a range of about 250 miles.

Environmental Impact

Calder said the range extender Fusilier would produce between 20 percent and 30 percent of the CO2 emissions of a conventional internal combustion engine vehicle and eliminate the range anxiety that is stopping some people from buying current EVs. “We think it is a very important transition vehicle,” she said. The final powertrain configuration of the two new models coming after the launch of the Fusilier had yet to be decided, Calder said. But she indicated they will be built on platforms that could accommodate multiple powertrains, which suggests there will be full electric and plug-in versions.

Exploring Hydrogen Fuel Cells

Ineos is also looking at hydrogen fuel cells, the technology offering the potential for vehicles to travel long distances in remote areas on electric power. The company is currently testing Grenadier prototypes fitted with BMW-built fuel cell powertrains. Ineos Automotive’s parent is a giant chemical company and a fuel refiner, and so has experience with making e-fuels and produces bulk hydrogen as a by-product. However, Calder admits both currently have challenges in terms of being viable fuels for internal combustion engines.

“At the moment, there’s just not enough e-fuel to go around, and it’s going to be extremely expensive,” she said. “It feels like it’s a long way off in terms of having sufficient fuel to imagine keeping a combustion engine fleet alive at a total cost of ownership for customers that would be acceptable. We’re not discounting it, we’re interested. We’re a bit more invested in hydrogen, but we think it’s also a long way off because of infrastructure.”

Company Growth and Sales Goals

As a global automaker, Ineos, which produced its first vehicle barely two years ago, is tiny. Though currently on track to sell more than 30,000 Grenadier and Grenadier Quartermaster vehicles this year, that’s little more than twice the number of cars Ferrari sold last year.

The plans to launch the Fusilier and the two as-yet unnamed models are designed to boost sales. Lynn Calder believes that, within a decade, Ineos could be selling 200,000 to 300,000 vehicles worldwide. “We’re not looking to become a massive automotive player that has lots and lots of models and very high volume,” she said, saying that Ineos had no plans to build anything other than off-road capable 4×4 vehicles. “We want to stick to what we know but get bigger.”

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