Ineos planning fully electric Suzuki Jimny rival to sit under Grenadier

John Law

Contributor

The unnamed second model in Ineos’ line-up will take aim at adventure-seeking buyers looking for a more compact and fully electric model

Ineos Automotive has confirmed plans to produce a second model that will be smaller than the inbound Grenadier four-wheel drive.

The group’s chief executive officer Jim Ratcliffe confirmed earlier this week the forthcoming (yet-to-be-named) model will be based on an all-new platform and substantially smaller than the existing Grenadier.

This is the full-sized Grenadier, but Ineos says another, smaller variant is in the pipeline

Ineos has not suggested when the new model will be revealed to the public, but more news is expected to emerge after the full-size Grenadier’s Australian release in the second half of 2022.

It’s likely that, following the Grenadier’s ‘indie Defender 110 successor’ tag, the smaller Ineos model could be seen as a spiritual successor to the smaller Land Rover Defender 90.

The new Ineos could therefore end up as a commercial farm runabout or, as an urban assault vehicle thanks to its fully-electric drivetrain.

The smaller Ineos model will pack an all-electric powertrain

Either role combined with an affordable price, would see it serve as a direct competitor to a Suzuki Jimny or more hardcore choice than a unibody Toyota Yaris Cross small SUV.

Ineos has not yet confirmed how compact the new model will be, but it’s safe to assume it will ride on a shorter wheelbase than the full-size Grenadier (2922mm) and therefore be more compact overall than the 4927mm 4WD.

The more compact Ineos may also be narrower to suit the tight lanes and city streets in its home country of England, but full details will be revealed closer to production. We do know that the new model will be built alongside the Grenadier at Ineos’ Hambach plant in France.

What will power the compact Ineos?

Powertrain details are still sparse, but unlike the full-size Grenadier that will use BMW turbo-petrol engines from launch with hydrogen power (working together with Hyundai) likely down the track, the little Ineos will be electric-only.

Ineos Grenadier 2022 social — We could see the smaller Ineos some time next year

Speaking behind Ineos’s choice to go electric, Mr Ratcliffe said: “we need to embrace the future which, clearly in an urban environment, is going to be electric. But even in a country environment, if you’re a farmer, you probably will have an electric vehicle you can drive around on tracks.

“So you want (a vehicle) that’s capable, but it’s electric. I think that’s our vision at the moment.”

It is unclear whether Ineos will look to develop its own electric powertrain, or perhaps lean on existing industry partners already providing powertrains such as BMW and Hyundai, both of which have a range of potential options.

We do know it will be 4WD and could potentially undercut the $84,500 entry-price of a Grenadier wagon given its more compact dimensions.