Ineos Automotive has simply began delivering its Grenadier wagon to Australians after a number of months of delays, however for a lot of consumers it’s the (formally) yet-to-be-revealed dual-cab ute that’s of higher curiosity.

Anticipated to emerge within the subsequent month or two and enter sequence manufacturing by 12 months’s finish, the oft-spied Grenadier pickup shapes as a little bit of a distinct segment proposition inside Australia’s booming ute market – which accounts for about one-in-five of recent car gross sales.

“Its significance for the Australian market is immense… I believe that we’ve acquired one thing that’s fairly a singular proposition as properly,” Ineos Automotive Asia Pacific boss Justin Hocevar instructed us this week, including that extra information relating to the car was “imminent”.

The Grenadier ute may have clear stylistic variations to mainstream dual-cabs just like the Toyota HiLux and Ford Ranger – to not point out heavier obligation specs and better costs – and will supply higher loading and towing skills than the same boxy Jeep Gladiator.

Whereas will probably be priced extra carefully to the vary of bigger American pickups coming into the market, all of which provide robust towing credentials, the Grenadier ought to have them lined for off-road means – when it comes to potential angles of assault, articulation and many others.

If something the Grenadier dual-cab ute shapes as a extra refined and trendy competitor to the Toyota LandCruiser 70 Sequence dual-cab – an agricultural car, however nonetheless one providing heavyweight functionality and subsequently dominates rural Australia.

“We don’t have the legacy of their story, however we’ve definitely acquired an enormous funding in prime quality gear and I believe that individuals have been actually drawn to that,” Mr Hocevar claimed. In a fortuitous piece of timing, Toyota has needed to pause LC70 orders as a consequence of low manufacturing charges.

“So I wish to assume that we’ve virtually lived in between the place the Thailand [sourced] and the large American stuff is now, and there’s not loads of selection within the area that we intend to occupy. The community is extremely amped up and prepared for this car, significantly all of the regional guys.”

“We’ve acquired very robust order numbers right here in Australia, [but] we’ve nonetheless acquired a really robust reservation quantity,” Mr Hocevar added, referring to those who apparently put down Grenadier deposits when the wagon went on sale – for the unrevealed ute as a substitute.

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“These have been those who put down that $800 reservation price again in October 2021, there’s an enormous variety of these those who… have parked that cash there with us for a few years almost to be first cab off the rank on the subject of the dual-cab.”

“That’s a extremely robust indicator to us that there’s some folks on the market which might be hanging out for this car.”

We clearly don’t know precisely how a lot the Grenadier ute will price, however for context the station wagon opens at $98,000 for the bottom mannequin with no choices – that means it’ll possible be a six-figure car as soon as on-road prices are factored in.

Anticipate the Grenadier pickup to share many of the identical specs because the Grenadier wagon – engines, axles, front-half panels, inside – however to additionally supply an extended wheelbase and the next payload than the wagon’s 932kg inventory most.

The Grenadier wagon – the ute is a spinoff of the identical platform – presents BMW-sourced inline-six diesel (183kW and 550Nm) and petrol (210kW and 450Nm) engines, mated to eight-speed computerized transmissions and 4×4 with low-range.

It has Carraro beam axles at each ends suspended with five-link Eibach coils, a box-section ladder chassis, everlasting 4×4 with a Tremec switch case, three diff locks, a gross car mass of 3550kg, and a 3500kg towing means.

Background

Australia is without doubt one of the principal international markets for the rugged Grenadier, billed by some as a non secular successor to the unique Land Rover Defender.

The Grenadier is the brainchild of Sir Jim Ratcliffe, the British billionaire engineer and chairman of multinational petrochemical big Ineos. No expense has been spared on his ardour mission.

The official story says Ratcliffe was hanging out in London’s Grenadier pub in 2017, bemoaning Land Rover’s resolution to kill the previous Defender and change it with the extra trendy and splendid new SUV mannequin when he determined to convey the automotive to life.

Ineos Automotive Australia can be a manufacturing facility operation quite than an unbiased distributor. The corporate has round 30 model shops in Australia promoting through a fixed-price company mannequin, together with 5 in capital cities and 25 in regional hubs, reflecting the Grenadier’s audience.

Manufacturing Grenadiers are constructed at an previous Mercedes-Benz plant in Hambach, France, which was bought by Ineos. Since 2019 the plant has acquired a claimed A$770 million in upgrades, funded by each Mercedes-Benz and Ineos.

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