Goodwood prototypes signal bold ambitions of Ineos

New 4×4 brand Ineos Automotive has clearly signalled ambitions to assume the ‘any off-road vehicle for any situation’ mantle that once was a signature of Land Rover.

A series of prototype versions of the Ineos Grenadier have been unveiled the Goodwood Festival of Speed, which the brand says demonstrate the versatility and adaptability of the vehicle.

Ineos head Jim Ratcliffe only committed to designing and building the Grenadier, which went on sale in 2023, after Jaguar Land Rover rejected his bid to continue producing the original Land Rover Defender – axed in 2016 the Defender was a vehicle that traced its lineage directly back to the original Land Rover of 1948.

Over the years Land Rovers were consistently adapted to meet requirements for all kinds of go-anywhere vehicles, notably with the military and in the most challenging of environments, and the Ineos presence at Goodwood shows clear intentions of the new brand offering equal adaptability.

The prototypes in action over the Festival weekend included a portal-axled version of the Grenadier, in both station wagon and Quartermaster pick-up form and with an increased ground clearance and wading depth.

A short-wheelbase version of the pick-up was on display and unofficially dubbed the ‘Shortermaster’, while there was also a V8 version of the Grenadier, an eight-seater Safari conversion and a variant built to FIA sporting regulations to compete in 2025 Rally Raids such as the famed Paris-Dakar event.

Ineos also debuted its new Arcane Works, set up to produce customised and personalised versions of its vehicles. A bespoke luxury variant of the Grenadier was unveiled – dubbed the Detour, it will be limited to 200 vehicles.

And as if to emphasise the brand’s intentions to become the go-to serious off-road vehicle supplier, Ineos announced a new partnership with the Royal National Lifeboat Association which will see the coastal emergency service using Grenadiers to launch and recover its D-class lifeboats.

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Ineos Automotive CEO Lynn Calder, who drove one of the prototypes up the Goodwood Festival hill, said that the Grenadier’s body-on-frame chassis has already proven itself to be incredibly versatile. “As we look to future product and limited editions, we want to keep innovating – as our new brand campaign states, the Grenadier is Built For More, and over the next few years we will be showing just what that means,” she added.

Calder also confirmed during the launch conference for the Grenadier prototypes that production of the brand’s first electric vehicle, the Fusilier, has been delayed. She stated that Ineos is awaiting more clarity on government policies for the transition to electric and a return to confidence among potential EV buyers. But Calder added; “I want to be clear, we will launch an electric vehicle – the Fusilier is not dead, it will come back.”

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