Ineos hints at new additions to the Grenadier, Quartermaster family

GOODWOOD, England – Ineos Automotive unveiled five potential variants for its Grenadier SUV and Quartermaster pickup, with an eye toward boosting revenue and global sales.

The startup needs to provide a little pizzazz to its one-car, two derivative lineup after deciding to delay its planned third model, the Fusilier. That SUV, which would have been smaller than its siblings, was supposed to add full-electric and range-extender hybrid powertrains. Ineos blamed the delay on waning demand for EVs and uncertainty around tariffs.

The Ineos prototypes, which were unveiled in July at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, cover a vast array of customer needs and multiple geographies.

• Shortermaster – Despite its name, this variant is not a Quartermaster with a shorter wheelbase and truck bed. It is a Grenadier that has had its luggage compartment and tailgate replaced by a pickup bed. Visually, its proportions make it appear less balanced than a standard Quartermaster, but it could be a better fit for Europe’s narrow roads because its length (4855 mm) is almost half a meter less than the Quartermaster (5400 mm). The Shortermaster also sits on a 2922 mm wheelbase while the Quartermaster’s wheelbase is 3227 mm. That makes tight corners a bit of an issue in the Quartermaster, which doesn’t currently offer four-wheel steering
• Grenadier V-8 Prototype – This model would be aimed at the U.S. and Middle East because it would offer the largest engine in the family: a BMW-sourced 4.4-liter V-8. Magna Steyr, which Ineos Automotive hired to do the engineering work for the Grenadier, proposed the powertrain upgrade to the British company. (Magna Steyr was also supposed to build the Fusilier) . The V-8 model shown at Goodwood was a prototype created by Magna Steyr using a 6.2-liter V-8 from General Motors, but an eventual production model will most likely feature the BMW V-8. The Grenadier and Quartermaster are currently offered with 3.0-liter inline six-cylinder gasoline and diesel engines supplied by BMW.

• LeTech-modified Grenadier and Quartermaster – These variants’ most striking feature is their increased ground clearance, which allows them to wade even deeper into water. While this feature increases functionality it also makes the variants look too imposing and aggressive for everyday use.
• Buzz Special Vehicles variant – This derivative is built to race in the desert. While the model is compliant with Federation International Automobile (FIA) specifications, Ineos has no plans to field a team to compete in events such as the Dakar Rally. Individual customers, however, could use the variant in the Dakar endurance race.
• Eight-seat Safari variant – The inspiration for this vehicle is a one-off version of the Grenadier that was done two years ago by Botswana-based conversion company Kavango. That car was given as a 70th birthday gift by the company to Jim Ratcliffe, the British billionaire and head of Ineos Group, the petrochemicals giant that controls Ineos Automotive. The vehicle is specifically designed to take people on safari to view animals in their natural habitat.

Ratcliffe loved his present so much that he bought a controlling stake in Kavango. The conversion company, which has been renamed Ineos Kavango, is about to start production of the Safari variant. Each of the model’s two-passenger rows are higher than the one in front to ensure all passengers have an unobstructed view.

Ineos estimates the market size for safari-focused vehicles in Africa is about 35,000 units in operation. The vehicles have to be replaced every three to six years because of their extensive use on difficult terrain and the extreme temperatures in the country.

In the past, the Land Rover Defender was the preferred vehicle for safari conversions. For more than 50 years the first-generation Defender led the niche because of its no-rust aluminum body and rugged body-on-frame construction. Land Rover exited this niche in 2020 with the debut of the new Defender, which has a more refined, unibody structure.

Today, the Toyota Land Cruiser, which has a body-on-frame construction, is Africa’s most popular vehicle for safari conversions.

At Goodwood, Ineos also announced the launch of its Arcane Works bespoke program. The first model from Arcane Works will be the Detour. Only 200 units of the Grenadier derivative will be made. They will all be hand-finished in the

U.K. using materials from British suppliers including leathers from Bridge of Weir, cashmere from Johnstons of Elgin and badging from Vaughtons jewelers.

Ineos said the Detour would start at 134,000 pounds ($174,000) in the U.K. and could go substantially higher depending upon the special features customers decide to add. By comparison, the base price on the standard Grenadier is 76,000 pounds.