- the ineos grenadier, which honors the uncluttered design of the original land rover defender, is set to hit the u.s. market in 2023.
- the u.s. won't receive the diesel option, with only the gas-powered 3.0-liter inline-six from bmw available under the hood.
- ineos is currently finding dealer networks to partner with, and preorders will open to the general public in two weeks.
the ineos grenadier, revealed last summer, is a boxy off-road suv bearing a strong resemblance to the original land rover defender. the owner of british chemical company ineos, jim radcliffe, had been a huge defender enthusiast, and when the original defender ended production, radcliffe tried to buy the rights. when land rover wouldn't bite, radcliffe forged his own path, creating a back-to-basics suv—with solid axles and locking differentials—that mimicked the squared-off defender's design. after a legal battle revealed that land rover did not have exclusive rights to the defender's shape, ineos set to work developing the grenadier, and we now have details on ineos's plan to bring the grenadier stateside.
ineos is aiming to start sales of the grenadier in the united states in 2023, but the chemical company will need to find places to sell the off-roader. according to edmunds, at a recent roundtable discussion greg clark, the head of commercial operations for north america, said that ineos is currently evaluating dealer networks to partner with and that ineos may link up with more than one dealer group.
americans will only have one choice of engine in their grenadier when, and if, sales begin in 2023: a 3.0-liter inline-six supplied by bmw. according to clark, there wasn't enough of a business case for ineos to consider bringing to the u.s. the diesel powertrain that will be offered in other markets. the gearbox is coming from zf, and ineos has worked with magna steyr on development and testing. at the moment, clark said that ineos is hoping to provide a five-year/60,000-mile warranty, although that is not set in stone.
the grenadier is set to be produced in austria. ineos's first suvs will begin rolling off the line next summer, headed to customers in europe. production for the u.s. market will begin in early summer of 2023, with deliveries by the end of that year. today, preorders opened for the 75,000 people who registered their early interest in the vehicle, and preorders will open to everyone else in two weeks. there is no word yet on what the ineos grenadier might cost in the united states.