Thoughts and Musings on the Ineos Grenadier

[deep]

On 5/5/2022 at 7:57 PM, Bowie69 said:

Not sure I quite understand either....

You don't see the horrified faces??

[Anderzander]

I do now ! 
 

how strange … that I didn’t see it that is. 

[ThreePointFive]

What's that dark green cap looking thing sticking out of the rear bash plate?

[Bowie69]

I didn't,  but no matter

Green thing looks like a mil spec electrical connector. 

[Happyoldgit]

11 hours ago, Anderzander said:

I do now ! 
 

how strange … that I didn’t see it that is. 

I still don't understand, an explanation in plain English would be appreciated.

[Bowie69]

13 minutes ago, Happyoldgit said:

I still don't understand, an explanation in plain English would be appreciated.

Zooming in on the two red tow/recovery point and they look somewhat like horrified faces.

Personally I feel it a bit tenuous, which your response corroborates 😉

[Mo Murphy]

The question in my head is are they getting stuck so much that they needed to paint the recovery eyes red ?

Mo

[deep]

10 hours ago, Mo Murphy said:

The question in my head is are they getting stuck so much that they needed to paint the recovery eyes red ?

Mo

Dunno - I like to think it was done out of a sense of humour.  There's been enough lateral thinking on this project that I could believe we'll find similar touches elsewhere.

[Happyoldgit]

23 hours ago, Bowie69 said:

Zooming in on the two red tow/recovery point and they look somewhat like horrified faces.

Personally I feel it a bit tenuous, which your response corroborates 😉

Aha....

Obviously insufficient zoom, scrutiny and imagination on my part.

[Turnips]

11 hours ago, deep said:

Dunno - I like to think it was done out of a sense of humour.  There's been enough lateral thinking on this project that I could believe we'll find similar touches elsewhere.

Would they not be painted to stand out so on a demo/photoshoot day, anyone unfamiliar with the vehicle can attach a tow without any excuse for ripping a bumper etc from the vehicle?

[western]

On 5/6/2022 at 10:22 PM, ThreePointFive said:

What's that dark green cap looking thing sticking out of the rear bash plate?

More likely a EURO 13 pin socket for trailers. 

[geoffbeaumont]

On 5/8/2022 at 9:27 AM, Turnips said:

Would they not be painted to stand out so on a demo/photoshoot day, anyone unfamiliar with the vehicle can attach a tow without any excuse for ripping a bumper etc from the vehicle?

Our maybe just to make them stand out in photoshoots to highlight the vehicles "serious off-roader" credentials.

[Turnips]

23 minutes ago, geoffbeaumont said:

Our maybe just to make them stand out in photoshoots to highlight the vehicles "serious off-roader" credentials.

It could well be this. My reckoning is still something to do with safety regulations - especially seeing as the vehicle is on German plates and they love a good rulebook! As an example, the MSA have the following rule on tow points:

19.1.3. There must be substantial towing eyes securely fixed to the main structure of the vehicle, front and rear, within the confines of the body to enable the vehicle to be moved. Cars of periods A to F and single seater racing cars are exempt from this requirement subject to a suitable towing point being clearly identified. Towing eyes must have a minimum internal diameter of 60mm. Towing eyes/towing points should be painted a contrasting bright colour (dayglo red, orange or yellow).

[ThreePointFive]

On 5/5/2022 at 6:27 AM, deep said:

Someone has a sense of humour! 

 

Ah, a bit like:

[jeremy996]

Article in Autocar that might cause some people to froth at the mouth, a fully electric little one:

The rugged Ineos Grenadier SUV – due in UK dealerships in a matter of weeks – will be followed by a smaller and fully electric sibling model.

Ineos Group CEO Sir Jim Ratcliffe has confirmed plans to expand the model range beyond the flagship Grenadier with a smaller SUV, potentially undercutting the larger car's £49,000 start price.

It will use an "all-new" platform, said Ineos - shortened in line with the new car's entry-level billing, but will maintain a similar focus on off-road ability and be positioned similarly as a "workhorse". The Grenadier is heavily inspired by the Land Rover Defender, which has long been available in a range of sizes, and so Ineos looks now to be lining up its own take on the shorter Defender 90. 

It will be built alongside passenger and commercial versions of the Grenadier at Ineos's factory in Hambach, France, but the firm has yet to give a projected timeframe for its market introduction. 

With the Grenadier positioned as a rival to the likes of the Land Rover Defender 110, Jeep Wrangler and Mercedes G-Class, the stage is set for this new entry-level model to take on the Dacia Duster and Suzuki Jimny in the affordable, compact 4x4 segment - although crucially it will stand out by virtue of its all-electric drivetrain.

Comments by the company boss suggest that this new model could reach production as a smaller derivative of the Grenadier – perhaps like the relationship between the rugged US-market Ford Bronco and its more lifestyle-oriented Bronco Sport sibling, which uses a different platform.

"What we're also looking at quite carefully at the moment is a smaller version of the Grenadier - electric," said Ratcliffe, giving the first details of the new model.

"We need to embrace the future, which clearly, in an urban environment, is going to be electric - but even in a country environment, if you're a farmer, you probably will have an electric vehicle you can drive around on tracks and things like that.

"So you want one that's capable, but it's electric. I think that's our vision at the moment."

Crucially, though, while this new compact 4x4 will be Ineos's first foray into battery-electric power, it has not abandoned plans for fuel cell vehicles. 

Working in partnership with Hyundai – which currently sells the Nexo FCEV and has bold plans to expand its hydrogen commercial offering in the coming years – Ineos is developing a hydrogen-powered Grenadier and will show off a functioning demonstrator vehicle on and off road by the end of this year.

More details about the second Ineos model are expected in the coming months, as the first customer examples of the Grenadier make their way to European customers."

[L19MUD]

I went to the Suffolk show yesterday and was surprised to see Ineos there. I had a good chat with one of the people on the stand and he talked me through some of the features of the car. I must say the interior is much nicer in person than I think it looks on the pictures. The fit and finish was pretty decent through with a couple of exceptions like some trim around the steering column which had come away. The seats looked to be decent but we were not allowed to sit in it. It was a pre production car though.

 

I really liked some of the features such as the track for mounting things on the waistline of the car and also the storage area in the well of the spare wheel which was a neat idea. 

 

I mentioned this thread and they said they knew about it so all our thoughts are being heard!

[jeremy996]

YouTube video episode 12, where Autocar got the idea for the little electric one:-

 

[ThreePointFive]

I don't want to, but I like that 90.

 

[simonr]

Electric Short Wheelbase - yes please!

I'll keep my fingers crossed - that sounds exactly what I've been hoping for. 

Si

[Snagger]

The more I see of it, the more I like it.  I still don’t like the grille or bonnet front edge, and I’m not mad about the rear lights even though I get the artistic ethos behind them, but overall I think it’s the best 4wd platform coming up.

[Happyoldgit]

Following discussions about the current trends in secondhand values of the new and old Defender models I wonder if sales of the Grenadier are likely to be impacted?

Interested to read views and opinions. 

[Anderzander]

I can’t imagine Ineos will be immune from rising supply chain costs …. But they will be far more immune to the chip shortage ! 

[Bowie69]

Tbh, I think a good chunk of the asking price over the early mooted prices is down to the increase in raw materials cost and electronics - this was happening two years ago, just not noticed by the average consumer.

Timber/concrete prices, for example, were doubled or more by summer last year.

[landroversforever]

48 minutes ago, Bowie69 said:

Tbh, I think a good chunk of the asking price over the early mooted prices is down to the increase in raw materials cost and electronics - this was happening two years ago, just not noticed by the average consumer.

Timber/concrete prices, for example, were doubled or more by summer last year.

Didn’t know they were doing a half timbered Grenadier!  

[Snagger]

7 hours ago, Bowie69 said:

Tbh, I think a good chunk of the asking price over the early mooted prices is down to the increase in raw materials cost and electronics - this was happening two years ago, just not noticed by the average consumer.

Timber/concrete prices, for example, were doubled or more by summer last year.

Yep, prices went up a fair bit, but products were still available.  Now they are not, especially certain electronics (mobile phones never seem to be caught up in this), so people with money to burn are paying way over the value for second hand.

While the Grenadier has less electronics than new LR products, it still has them on the engine, transmission, alarm and immobiliser, entertainment and information systems, ABS and so on, so they will be impacted too.  I imagine there is a lot of behind the scenes bargaining going on with suppliers to outmanoeuvre the competition.