INEOS Automotive’s uncompromising 4x4 to be built in Wales and named ‘Grenadier’
- Grenadier name chosen by the company’s fans and followers.
- Wales to be the home of the INEOS Grenadier, to be assembled in a new manufacturing facility in Bridgend.
- A significant commitment to UK manufacturing, creating up to 500 jobs as part of INEOS’s £600 million investment to bring the Grenadier to market in 2021.
INEOS Automotive has announced that its utilitarian 4x4 will be named ‘Grenadier’ after the pub in which it was conceived, with over 6,000 international fans and followers responding to an online poll to choose the vehicle’s name.
INEOS also confirmed that the Grenadier will be built in a bespoke new manufacturing facility on a greenfield site in Bridgend, South Wales. This will create 200 jobs initially, and up to 500 in the long term. Site development is now under way to support planned start of production in 2021.
INEOS Group Chairman Sir Jim Ratcliffe said: “We have looked long and hard at possible manufacturing locations for Grenadier across the world with lots of good options to choose from. The decision to build in the UK is a significant expression of confidence in British manufacturing, which has always been at the heart of what INEOS stands for.”
Welsh Government Economy and Transport Minister Ken Skates said: “Today’s announcement is great news for Wales and I’m delighted INEOS Automotive will be setting up home in Bridgend which has a long history of skilled manufacturing expertise. The Welsh Government has worked closely with the company to make this happen and I look forward to seeing the development of the new site progress ahead of the planned start of production in 2021.”
INEOS Automotive has confirmed that in parallel, it will be investing in a sub-assembly plant in Estarreja, Portugal. The facility will produce the Grenadier’s body and chassis, working in conjunction with INEOS’s European supply chain partners.
Dirk Heilmann, Chief Executive Officer of INEOS Automotive, commented: “Confirming production in the UK, as well as our investment in Portugal, is a major milestone for the project. We are progressing well with the design and engineering work, as well as our marketing and distribution plans. In the months ahead, we look forward to sharing more information about the Grenadier, and engaging with local suppliers, the community and region, in advance of the start of production in 2021.”
ENDS
Contact details:
Louise Everett, Head of Marketing Communications, INEOS Automotive
+44 (0) 7554 113458 louise.everett@ineos.com
Andrew Roberts, Influence Associates
+44 (0) 7432 718801 andrew@influenceassociates.com
Andrew McLachlan, Media Zoo
+44 (0) 207384 6980 andrew@mediazoo.tv
About INEOS Grenadier
In 2017, INEOS Chairman Jim Ratcliffe, a car enthusiast and experienced adventurer, identified a gap in the market for a stripped back, utilitarian, hard-working 4x4 engineered for modern day compliance and reliability. INEOS Automotive Limited was formed and a senior team of automotive professionals assembled to bring the vision to reality with a fresh perspective of 4x4 development and manufacturing.
Combining rugged British spirit with German engineering rigour, the Grenadier will be a truly uncompromising 4x4 built from the ground up. Engineered to overcome all conditions, it will provide best-in-class off-road capability, durability and reliability to those who depend on a vehicle as a working tool, wherever they are in the world.
On the engineering front, we are now moving into series development, with announcements on appointed suppliers and partners to be made in the coming months. INEOS Grenadier will go into production in 2021 in a new purpose-built manufacturing facility in Bridgend, Wales.
INEOS Automotive is a subsidiary of INEOS Group (www.ineos.com), a leading manufacturer of petrochemicals, speciality chemicals and oil products. It employs 22,000 people across 34 businesses, with a production network spanning 183 manufacturing facilities in 26 countries. From paints to plastics, textiles to technology, medicines to mobile phones, materials manufactured by INEOS enhance almost every aspect of modern life. In 2018, INEOS had sales of circa $60bn and EBITDA of around $6bn.
To find out more about Grenadier, visit www.ineosgrenadier.com.