All told, the Pronto was poised to rejuvenate Plymouth’s image. I grew up on a farm in Derbyshire around tractors and Land Rovers, but I was interested in cars. “It might sound arrogant to think we can fill that gap, but we have the confidence. We expect it to be appropriately boxy, but what we know is the Grenadier is going to use turbocharged 3.0-liter straight-six gas and diesel engines from BMW. Chevrolet suggested the Volt could also receive a hydrogen-powered drivetrain. “We made a list of qualities we wanted to achieve: assured, robust, faithful, dependable and purposeful. “We’re using the line ‘Built on Purpose’ for the Grenadier,” said Tennant, “because for this project, function must always lead. INEOS Grenadier | An Uncompromising 4x4 Engineered For The World. The doors have external hinges that help with the door removal that will suit some users and give the car’s design the honesty Ecuyer sought. That’s why we’ve taken an engineering-led approach to the … For a brand with such a vast and illustrious heritage, Citroën keeps surprising us by not releasing a full-on retro-inspired model. Ineos’s engine choice is the BMW B57/B58 family, so each Grenadier will have a modular 3.0-litre petrol or diesel straight six that sends its … Heilmann confirmed that the Grenadier’s shell will be all-new, hinting at a retro design, with a boxy shape and surfaces “flat enough to rest a mug on.” Like the old Defender, it will also come in a range of body styles, including a traditional “station wagon” shape and a pick-up version. If we can deliver that, I have no doubt it will be a success when it arrives in 2020-2021.”. There are also pre-wired “utility rails” running through the doors and under the rear side windows, because Ineos expects owners to use their Grenadiers for camping. Designers dusted off the Micro Compact Car’s trapezoidal lights when they gave the car a facelift in 2001. “It was really important to us that this design should be easily read, with nothing complicated or mysterious about it,” said Ecuyer. Explore INEOS Automotive's new stripped-back, uncompromising 4X4 in the 'Building the Grenadier' series with in-depth insights into the building of this vehicle. To be fair, few people expected the Kizashi 3 concept to reach production untouched and the Kizashi nonetheless earned praise as one of Suzuki’s best cars ever. I’m hoping people will recognise those things in the production car.”, Official: Ineos confirms Bridgend factory for Grenadier 4x4, Jaguar Land Rover readies 2021 Range Rover amid lockdown delays, Gallery: Before & after: concept cars that went wrong in production (Autocar). Microsoft may earn an Affiliate Commission if you purchase something through recommended links in this article. Type keyword (s) to search. It completely missed its target, however, and it accelerated Suzuki’s decision to withdraw from the American market in 2012. Every time we had a decision to make about the car, we would run through the list to see if it met them. And it will be comfortable, too, because owners will spend many hours in their machines.”. And although I’m the design leader, there are others in the team. Two engines … The partnership will see BMW’s TwinPower Turbo petrol and diesel engines, famed for their world-class blend of durability, performance and efficiency, feature under the bonnet of INEOS … It’s built like one, too. Two years ago, after forming Ineos Automotive, Ratcliffe enlisted his friend and favourite superyacht designer, Toby Ecuyer – who is usually based on the south coast of England – to form and lead the Grenadier design team. Interesting evidence of Ecuyer’s nautical design background abounds. The result is a simple, well-proportioned and familiar-looking off-roader with straight sides, a clamshell bonnet rising above flat-topped front wings, a steep, fairly flat windscreen and a flat roof with rain gutters running all the way around. Not that we’re Luddites; it’s not spartan or out of date. Plymouth presented the Pronto concept in 1997 as a new kind of economy car. It’s just honest.”. It was merely a Chevrolet Cavalier with Pontiac-specific front and rear fascias and different plastic cladding on the sides. Was Subaru on the cusp of a styling revolution? With eye-catching green paint, a muscular stance and a high-tech interior, the two-door design study demonstrated that a small city car didn’t needed to look or feel cheap. Mechanically, it's related to the BlueCar. Toyota previewed its entry into the booming city SUV segment with the C-HR concept. While many would have placed money on the second option, Mercedes-Benz parent company Daimler soon made plans to bring the model to production. Ineos moving Grenadier production to continental Europe is the second major blow for Bridgend. The British firm’s new off-roader will adopt a similarly spartan approach to infotainment. The challenge is to get the components together and have them properly tested.”. It has some power in reserve as well. Heilmann said that although the Grenadier’s performance will make off-roading a priority, its on-road ability will be “fine for anyone who’s used to driving, say, a Jeep Wrangler”. I think the Grenadier sits very naturally among these 4x4 icons, and if others agree, then we’ve achieved our design objective.”. They wrote back politely, basically saying the cars were terrible but that they had a design department and, when I was old enough, I should try to join their training scheme. Land Rover Defender: still the best at 60? The Japanese firm described the design study as “a statement that promises the brute power to match its bold styling and ample proportions,” a not-so-subtle hint that it had clearly received the message about the Tundra’s size. To its credit, the brand added a convertible model to the line-up. Like the windscreen, they and a lot of the panelling appear to be flat, but they aren’t quite. There are some interesting parallels in surface design and design thinking. We’re focusing on a high standard of off-road performance first, and there’s an Ineos tradition of using straightforward, simple language for a straightforward, simple car. Many speculated General Motors executives would never dare give the concept the proverbial green light for production. Ecuyer said this gives room for ‘stuff’ inside the bottom half of the doors while allowing their tops to be “no thicker than they need to be”. INEOS Automotive is pleased to announce that it has entered into a powertrain technology partnership with BMW Group, which will result in the car maker supplying engines for its forthcoming 4x4, Projekt Grenadier. Some are created merely to turn heads on the auto show circuit while others preview what’s next. The truck was bigger than its predecessor, though Toyota still didn’t offer a dually option, and it wore a brawnier design. However, the body is a complex mixture of aluminium, high-strength steel and composites. Suicide doors provided unobstructed access to an interior that could be configured in a wide variety of different ways. We want to build something that looks cool and retains all the off-road ability of the Defender, plus it has to be reliable. There’s an honesty about cars in our collection that people tend to adopt and identify with, and we wanted that for Grenadier. One of the few styling cues that made the transition from the concept to the production model is the C-shaped insert in each headlight. 2021 Ineos Grenadier 4WD makes debut alongside off-road icons Early Grenadier prototypes called 2A are being used to specially calibrate gasoline and diesel variants of the much-loved BMW 3.0-liter straight six engine. “They’re the result of a very practical problem,” said Ecuyer, “not a wafty sketch in a cafe somewhere…”. Ineos Grenadier, a chemical manufacturing company has identified this market segment, not just in Australia but Globally, and taken it upon themselves to make a No-BS utilitarian 4×4 Vehicle. “We haven’t swathed the dash just to make it look nice,” said Ecuyer. ... That includes sketching, scale models, engine and chassis development and near-production prototypes. The sheet metal hid an innovative hybrid drivetrain made up of a lithium-ion battery pack and a 1.0-liter combustion engine used to generate electricity when needed. And now, it’s fantastic to see Grenadier in the company of these legends. The beach-friendly design study was a heritage-laced tribute to the Mehari that was based on the likeable C4 Cactus SUV. Show full articles without "Continue Reading" button for {0} hours. Leather will be used on the seats purely for its durability and drain plugs will be included, allowing the driver to easily hose out the interior. At first glance, the 2007 Chevrolet Volt concept stood out with muscular styling that almost made it look like a four-door Camaro. The Subaru Impreza Sedan concept was too good to be true. • Land Rover Defender: still the best at 60? They all shaped our plan for a vehicle that would be extremely capable but also very honest and uncomplicated.”. Ineos will design factory-fit options and aftermarket kit for the Grenadier but isn’t shy about making it ‘open-source’ so other equipment makers can produce add-ons to suit. The Beat was part of Chevrolet’s three-concept offensive at the 2007 New York auto show. It wasn’t quite as big or quite as futuristic as the FTX concept, for better or worse, and the hybrid powertrain remained at the prototype stage. ... Engine and Transmission. Until then, I didn’t realise design was an actual job, and that really sparked my interest to know how things were created.”, “I trained as an architect and then got into boat design – long projects, 80-metre superyachts and for private customers. No one knew quite what to make of the Micro Compact concept shown in 1996 in Atlanta, Georgia. We used them as a kind of checklist. The Kizashi 3 unveiled at the 2008 New York auto show completed the concept car trifecta with a 300 HP V6 and unusually muscular proportions. It’s a shame that it held little appeal beyond giving motorists the possibility to drive with the top down without spending a lot of money. “It has been fascinating, benchmarking all the cars we have. We had a good friendship – and a mutual enjoyment of cars.”. Tennant and Heilmann say the project is running only a few weeks behind, despite Covid-19, and they’re looking now at ways of getting that time back. Meanwhile, two new factories are being built: one in Portugal for chassis-making and one in South Wales for final assembly. Last week, Autocar held a virtual meeting with Ecuyer, Heilmann and commercial director Mark Tennant to see the wraps come off the Grenadier and hear more about its purpose and capabilities. The automotive industry has repeatedly warned of the impacts of a hard Brexit on car exports. Introduced as the Chevrolet Spark in 2009, it looked markedly less athletic than the design study that previewed it, it grew a set of rear doors and it came with a decidedly more downmarket interior. “If there’s space available, we open it up for use.”. Ecuyer said very gentle curvature confers a modern sophistication on the design it otherwise wouldn’t have. The Grenadier facility was to be built next to the now-closed Ford engine plant, which Ford shuttered in September with the loss of almost 1,700 jobs. One thing I’ve learned is how little there is between cars. Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s rugged new off-roader, the Ineos Grenadier, has appeared for the first time in public, displayed at London's Concours of Elegance alongside the 4x4 icons that inspired its design. INEOS is still undecided about whether or not it will build short- and long-wheelbase versions of Projekt Grenadier. Let us know below…, New 2020 INEOS Projekt Grenadier: engines and specs announced. Our philosophy since day one: function over form, every time. So, you can use it when needed. It previewed the first all-new Mustang since 1978 with a concept car called Mach III shown in January 1993 at the Detroit and Los Angeles auto shows. Parked next to a humble Saxo, the car it was intended to replace, the C-3 made the future look utterly attractive. INEOS chairman and Projekt Grenadier founder Jim Ratcliffe stated: “the Land Rover Defender was the world’s most famous car, it conquered the planet. The fourth-generation Ford Mustang finally made its debut in late 1993. While we knew Ineos partnered with BMW for the Grenadier's engines, this video finally showed images of them. It was a four-door electric city car capable of delivering brisk performance – it did 0-60mph in 6.3secs – and characterized by a light-up front end drawn with an eye on the future. “When I was about nine, I wrote to Austin Rover with some car sketches. Investors Are Betting On EVs & Clean Energy, Cadillac Reveals Future-Focused Autonomous Pod And One-Person Drone, Porsche Le Mans Living Legend Was An Eight-Cylinder Nod To The Past, Ford Bronco Wildland Fire Rig Revealed To Support The Forest Service. That’s because, unlike the concept that previewed it, it’s not based on the C4 Cactus at all. The small door can be opened before the large one to provide access to the space-saver tool compartment that’s innovatively pressed into its skin below the glass. Chevrolet acknowledged the differences and said adopting a softer shape was necessary to make the Volt more efficient by greatly reducing its drag coefficient. While the Grenadier, shown, will initially run on six-cylinder gasoline and diesel engines supplied by BMW, Ineos will assess the suitability of using Hyundai's fuel cell system. In 2007, Suzuki introduced a series of Kizashi-badged concept cars that illustrated how it could make the models in its portfolio sporty and appealing. When it made its debut, the Volt stood out as one of the most forward-thinking cars in Chevrolet’s history. Rugged and athletic, the C-HR (a name which stood for compact high-rider) looked like the unlikely offspring of a GT86 and a Baja 1000 truck and, somehow, it worked. It signaled Toyota was about to bring charisma to a segment that had mostly lacked it since its inception. The public and the press lambasted Toyota for making the original Tundra too small. They were all vehicles that were well-respected.”. Pininfarina and French firm Bolloré teamed up to create the B0 concept unveiled at the 2008 Paris auto show. The firm claims its standard chassis strikes a good balance between off-road capability and passenger comfort, and it’s unsure whether it can justify the expense of developing a short-wheelbase model. Most reminiscent of the Defender is the Grenadier’s body ‘shoulder’ that runs from the top of the front wings in a dead straight line right to the rear end. By definition, a concept car explores the paths auto-makers can take as they forge their next design identity. The specific units INEOS will use are yet to be announced, but we anticipate the Grenadier will feature BMW’s 252bhp 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol, and BMW’s 261bhp 3.0-litre straight-six diesels. We and our partners use cookies on this site to improve our service, perform analytics, personalize advertising, measure advertising performance, and remember website preferences. The Citroën e-Mehari looks like the kiddie car version of the Cactus M concept. “Both, really. The Modular Concept Car unveiled at the 1996 Paris auto show looked a lot like the Micro Compact but it gained doors and a two-tone paint job that highlighted the safety cell, a feature that continues to characterize the ForTwo in 2018. He said: “We had Jeeps, Land Rovers, Toyota Hiluxes, a Toyota FJ40 [Land Cruiser], Nissan Patrols, Ford Broncos. Though it didn’t have suicide doors or a trick two-part tailgate, the first-generation C3 unveiled in 2002 managed to stand out in a segment where few entrants put any kind of emphasis on design. “Jim loves the design process, and he gets very involved. It’s a Bolloré BlueSummer onto which someone grafted a Citroën front end that’s a size too big. It hinted at one with the Cactus M concept shown at the 2015 Frankfurt auto show. Tennant said decisions about the dealer network are still being made but that Ineos wants to sell the Grenadier as directly as it can. These $19k SUVs Will Make You Trade in Your Car, The Highest Paying Cash Back Card Has Hit The Market, 16 Highly Unnecessary Things People Waste Money On (You’re Guilty Of Many). However, the company has confirmed it will not be built in Germany. Presented as Suzuki’s flagship, the regular-production Kizashi shared little more than a name with the concept car that previewed it. ... lockable differentials and it’s powered by a diesel engine… And there’s none of the clever technology people have developed to sanitise big SUVs. Featured Gallery Ineos Grenadier revealed Plants/Manufacturing The Ineos Grenadier will be built in Hambach, France. I mean, you only have to change a vehicle a little to make it look like something different. Unveiled at the 1998 Paris auto show, the last edition of the event before the turn of the millennium, the concept stood out with a shapely design characterized by a rounded front end and a 2CV-like arched roof line. It will have all the connectivity and screen technology you would expect. Production will take several years to ramp up for markets around the world, but insiders say it will be profitable at an annual output of about 25,000. “No, at least not until now. The company responded with the FTX concept introduced at the 2004 Detroit auto show. This engine delivers smooth power and has an abundance of torque. “Every owner’s use for their vehicle will be different,” said Heilmann, “and we’re very happy with that.”. INEOS plans production volumes of between 25,000 and 30,000 units a year. “No one is going to want to buy one of these just by driving it around the block.”, Q&A: Toby Ecuyer. Take one look at the series-produced Toyota C-HR and you’ll wonder where the design team went and why it never came back. It was intended to start production in December 2021, and have the vehicle on the market by early 2022. Key styling cues and dramatic lines often get watered down or completely lost, however. He also appointed former chemical engineer Dirk Heilmann as Ineos Automotive CEO and set him the task of creating the 4x4’s mechanical package, working with a band of engineers based mainly at Magna Steyr in Graz, Austria. My job is to help him get them onto paper. INEOS, the British-owned chemicals manufacturer, has provided more information about its upcoming successor to the Land Rover Defender. “It’s a statement we mean to back up,” the company added. INEOS; INEOS Grenadier 4×4: What Do Classic Land Rover Defender 130, Land Cruiser J45, and Willys Jeep Trucks Have in Common? What will you think when people draw similarities to the Land Rover Defender? Our key suppliers – people like our axle partner in northern Italy – are with us. The Engine and Transmission. The Grenadier will be powered by BMW -sourced ‘B57’ diesel and ‘B58’ petrol engines – both configured as turbocharged 3.0-litre inline six-cylinder units. … He has brilliant ideas. Like us on Facebook to see similar stories, US leaders boost security at state capitols across the nation amid experts' concerns of more violence, Biden on first day to unveil legislation to provide path to citizenship for millions: report, Visual similarity to the old Land Rover Defender is clear, Ineos is headed by British billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe, Toby Ecuyer, Ineos Grenadier design leader, Million-mile global testing programme began in icy Sweden, 2021 Ineos Grenadier 4WD makes debut alongside off-road icons, Smaller rear door can open first to reveal a stamped-in toolbox, Double-cab pick-up is planned to follow the station wagon, What look like Alpine lights are actually tie bars, "The Grenadier’s on-road ability will be fine for anyone who’s used to driving a Jeep Wrangler", Original Land Rover Series I, Toyota FJ40 and other 4x4 icons shown next to Grenadier.