INEOS Grenadier pricing revealed

An indicative Australian starting price of $84,500 has been announced for the all-new INEOS Grenadier a day ahead of local reservations opening and about a year before first deliveries start.

The sub-$85K price applies to the entry-level model in the range, which will be a two-seat panel van offered with the choice of BMW-sourced turbocharged 3.0-litre six-cylinder petrol and diesel engines for the same price.

But INEOS, which is owned by British chemical industry billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who named the Grenadier after his favourite London pub, will also offer a five-seat passenger version of the clean-sheet off-road 4x4 wagon when it launches in Australia in July 2022.

A dual-cab 4x4 ute derivative of the INEOS Grenadier will also be produced and sold Down Under, although it won’t arrive here in time for next year’s launch.

A refundable $800 reservation fee will be charged – as its name suggests – to reserve a place in the queue to buy a Grenadier. Online reservations for the Grenadier open tomorrow (September 30) for early ‘hand-raisers’ and from October 14 for all other interested buyers. INEOS is forecasting about 1000 sales in Australia in the first 12 months.

Initial details of the local plan for distribution and sales were rolled out by INEOS Automotive Australia chief Justin Hocevar, a former BMW and Jaguar Land Rover executive and the local boss Renault for more than seven years.

Hocevar joined INEOS in May 2020 as a consultant and is now full-time and managing the Grenadier roll-out in the Asian-Pacific region, the company’s first overseas division. INEOS Automotive Australia has six staff now and will expand to 10 by the end of 2021.

“We are part of that global company of INEOS which is first and foremost a chemical company and a very large one at that and a very successful one,” he said. “So we come with incredibly strong backing on this project.

“We’ve got owners that are very passionate about 4x4, about adventure travel, in their personal pursuits.

“At every single point of this journey, it has always been about going back and listening to what customers have got to say. What are the use cases? What do they want? What do they really like and what do they really hate?

“What do they dislike about not just a product or an automotive OEM brand and how it conducts itself, but also the intricate details of their dealings on a day-to-day basis when it comes to accessing parts or servicing their vehicle where they need to go?”

Reservation holders will be given the chance to experience the INEOS Grenadier 2B prototype that recently arrived in Australia for testing and promotional duties over the next 12 months.

The INEOS Grenadier is inspired by the long-lived previous-generation Land Rover Defender and does share a similar exterior look. Inside, it’s far more luxurious and modern.

The Grenadier is based on a new steel ladder-frame chassis and has been designed as a serious off-roader. It will have a maximum 3500kg braked towing capacity, while retaining a decent payload, Hocevar promised.

“That’s where we’ll be amongst the very best,” he said.

Along with BMW engines, the mechanical package will include a ZF eight-speed auto and Carraro beam axles.

The most direct competitor for the INEOS Grenadier, which will be built in a former Smart plant in France from the third quarter of next year, in Australia will be the legendary Toyota LandCruiser 70 Series, but Hocevar insists the Grenadier will come with advantages.

“We do have a point of difference from … the market leader. One, we offer an automatic. We’ll offer really a comprehensive range of safety equipment. We’ll offer a range of other features that you might not find in … some of those competitors,” he said.

However, it has been confirmed the Grenadier will not carry a five-star ANCAP safety rating. The 70 Series is five-star, but it was awarded way back in 2016 and applies only to single-cab models, with dual-cab and wagon versions unrated.

INEOS will launch with just 16 ‘agency’ dealers in Australia plus four in New Zealand. Customers will be able to complete their purchases online or through the agent, or a combination of both.

“Whether it is face-to-face with one of our retail partners or whether it’s doing it all in the privacy of their own home, they can bounce between those two worlds but ultimately get a handover and that introduction … through our sales and service partners,” explained Hocevar.

There are four distinct customer groups INEOS is targeting for the Grenadier – private, fleet, towers and serious off-road enthusiasts – and within three years INEOS expects to expand its Australian dealer line-up to 34.

INEOS has gone outside the normal automotive dealer network in Australia to secure its agents, signing up a recreational vehicle retailer in Brisbane and the Fraser motorcycle group in Newcastle.

Initially, there will only be one agent in each of the five mainland state capitals, but Hocevar estimates they will account for nearly 50 per cent of sales.

Agents will have demonstrator vehicles, which INEOS will encourage potential customers to take for long test drives.

“Put the vehicle through its paces a bit, bring it back dirty,” said Hocevar. “Don’t just drive it around a few suburban blocks if you happen to live in the city.

“Get it out of town, put it on a track and get a feel of the product for its true capability before you go making any decisions.”

The same ‘direct’ sales and service model will apply in New Zealand, where pricing starts at $NZ93,500 and where the Grenadier will be sold via four Armstrong-owned dealers in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin (see the Australian outlets below).

INEOS has confirmed it will launch the Grenadier with a five-year unlimited-kilometre warranty and roadside assist program, while a five-year service package will be available at additional cost.

The start-up off-road 4x4-maker has entered into an arrangement with Bosch Service Centres, which alongside Grenadier retailers will be its aftersales and service partner across both Australia and NZ.

INEOS says it will offer specialist technical support to enthusiasts, modifiers and those who wish to work on their own vehicles, including access to online interactive 3D workshop manuals and parts catalogues. Where parts are not immediately available, INEOS says it is targeting 24-hour delivery.

Among the 200 Australian sales and service locations expected to be operational by the time the Grenadier arrives in July 2022 are:

Purnell in Sydney, NSW
Brighton Automotive Holdings in Melbourne, VIC
SLRV Expedition in Gold Coast, QLD
Aaron Brain Motors in Shepparton, VIC
Buckby Motors in Launceston, TAS
John Oxley Motors in Port Macquarie, NSW
Rex Gorell in Geelong, VIC
Caravana in Brisbane, QLD
Frasers in Newcastle, NSW