British chemicals giant Ineos will work with automotive supplier and independent vehicle manufacturer Magna to develop the Grenadier, a rugged, utilitarian off-roader similar in ethos to the original Land Rover Defender.
Ineos is already working with Magna on the chassis and suspension of the Grenadier, and on Tuesday Ineos announced that Magna will now help to develop the off-roader to the point of production, a process known as series development.
“The transition from concept to series development is a major landmark in the evolution of the Grenadier,” said Dirk Heilmann, CEO of Ineos' automotive division. “We are pleased to have Magna, with their long heritage and experience in 4x4 development, with us for the next stage of the journey.”
Magna, despite manufacturing vehicles for other automakers, such as the Mercedes-Benz G-Class and Jaguar I-Pace, won't actually build the Grenadier. Instead, Ineos will use its own plant, to be constructed in Bridgend, Wales. The site is only about 30 minutes drive from where Aston Martin has built its new St Athan plant which earlier in December started production of the DBX SUV.
Ineos aims to start production of the Grenadier in 2021. Not all of the Grenadier's production will be handled in the U.K., though. Production of the body and chassis will be handled at a plant in Estarreja, Portugal. And the powertrains will be sourced from BMW, though it isn't clear from which plants.
