► Ineos: the future plans
► Future strategy by the boss
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Ineos is planning several new models as it looks to expand its range in the coming years. The brand’s CEO, Lynn Calder, confirmed that it is looking to add three extra vehicle families to sit alongside the existing Grenadier SUV.
Speaking at the 2023 Goodwood Festival of Speed, Calder said that all of these models will be in the same vein as the Grenadier, with a utilitarian and off-road focus.
‘We are still working on the final details but what I can tell you is the off-road DNA will always be us,’ she said. ‘We are not going to build a sports car or a family saloon, it will always be that DNA at our core.’
Calder said that the company regards the recently revealed Quartermaster pickup truck and the existing Grenadier as one family of vehicles, and that it is looking at adding three more vehicles beyond that.
EV and smaller models
Ineos has already confirmed that it is making an electric vehicle, with that currently expected to launch in 2026. This will be based on a different platform to the Grenadier, with the ladder-frame chassis under the brand’s first vehicle not deemed suitable to sit under an EV. She said that there are plenty of elements still to be determined but said that the new platform would be a skateboard style.
‘We are still working on the battery, but the rough range [for the EV] will be 400km. It will be a skateboard framework, the monocoque is the only way to go.
One other option is a smaller, one-tonne pickup, illustrating the brand’s designs on the Australian market.
‘Justin [Hocevar] who runs our business in Australia talks to us about the one-tonne all the time. He really strongly believes we need that to be competitive,’ said Calder.
She also explained that, despite taking an electric-only path with the model destined for 2026, the brand would look to offer vehicles with a variety of different powertrains.
‘We are committed to everything we need to do to decarbonise, no question about it,’ she said. ‘However, we have a global market and not every country has the same push. We need to find the right balance of making sure we are doing everything we need to for the ZE transition but so we also provide combustion engine cars in countries where they need it.’
This could well include hydrogen, as Ineos showed off a prototype of a Grenadier with a working powertrain at the 2023 Goodwood Festival of Speed.
Payload challenges
A pickup truck with a stronger payload could also be a contender, as Calder said: ‘We possibly didn’t recognise the importance, particularly in Australia, of the one-tonne [payload]. We do now.’
The Grenadier base is strong and heavy enough that it didn’t allow enough excess weight for the Quartermaster to be able to carry 1000kg and still fit under the 3500kg gross vehicle weight that allows a pickup to qualify for all the beneficial van tax rates. This means that buyers will not be able to reclaim the VAT on the purchase price, making it harder for it compete financially with most of its rivals.