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Old-school dirt-kicker Ineos Grenadier arrives in Michigan to take on Land Rover
Posted by Talbot Payne on March 1, 2025
Waterford Township — Tesla Inc. has inspired a wave of electric vehicle startups in recent years, including Rivian Automotive Inc., Lucid Motors, Fisker Inc. and Bollinger Motors — all focused on bringing a new, electrified age to the U.S. market.
British startup Ineos Automotive is something completely different.
The yin to Cybertruck’s yang, Ineos’ Grenadier SUV is an old-school, gas-fired dirt kicker. No jumbotron screens or battery skateboard here — just an all-terrain-tire-outfitted, ladder-frame SUV that can run through walls. Engineered in Austria, built in France and named after a London pub owned by the Ineos International petrochemical conglomerate, Ineos Grenadier has opened its first store with the Feldman Automotive Group here in Waterford Township to appeal to off-road enthusiasts who think Land Rover has gone soft.
The 2024 Ineos Grenadier LWB Station Wagon Fieldmaster on display in the Corporate Eagle hangar at Oakland County International Airport. A dealership in Waterford Township is the first in Michigan to sell the old-school, body-on-frame, off-road oriented SUV from startup Ineos. Clarence Tabb Jr., The Detroit News
“The look of the vehicles is old-school, it’s got an ICE (internal combustion engine) — not an electric drivetrain. We’re finding out from what we’ve seen that people are veering back to ICE from electric,” said Jay Feldman, sitting next to a silver Grenadier in his Waterford dealership. “This is a very fast vehicle with a turbocharged, inline-6 cylinder BMW drivetrain (with) lots of modern features to it — although the inside looks like a jet plane with controls on the ceiling.”
Like other startups Tesla, Rivian and Fisker, Ineos’ appeal is deeply intertwined with its colorful CEO. Billionaire founder Sir James Ratcliffe is head of Ineos and a passionate outdoorsman, Land Rover collector and sportsman. He owns the Manchester United soccer team and is a partner in the Mercedes AMG Formula One team.
He’s had a long love-hate relationship with the Land Rover Defender, the iconic off-road vehicle that — like Jeep in the United States — is synonymous with adventure and safaris.
Dismayed that Land Rover discontinued his beloved, ladder-framed Defender in 2016 (it was relaunched in 2020 on a unibody SUV chassis shared with other Jaguar Land Rover products like the Jaguar F-Pace), Ratcliffe did what any billionaire enthusiast would: he built his own. The idea for a no-nonsense, ladder-framed 4×4 was hatched over a beer at the Grenadier pub in London.
Think Land Rover’s gone soft? You could be in the market for an Ineos Grenadier like this one on the showroom floor of the Feldman dealership in Waterford Township. Clarence Tabb Jr., The Detroit News
The result is the Ineos Grenadier SUV, with ambitions to sell 25,000 globally, including in the United States, where it debuted as a 2024 model. The Defender likeness is unmistakable with round headlights and boxy stance, and Ineos survived an intellectual property lawsuit brought by Land Rover in England claiming it has stolen its design. With the runway cleared for production, Ineos has opened 26 dealerships in the United States, including Feldman Ineos Grenadier.
Ratcliffe’s passion was a big attraction to Feldman, who made his mark with mainstream brands like Chevrolet, Jeep and Hyundai.
“Everything is from (the) gut when you look at different opportunities, and when we started looking at Ineos (and) the history of Jim Ratcliffe I just felt like it was a great investment,” Feldman said. “The way they approach their dealer body makes a lot of sense to us. They are not over-dealered and the support, quality and uniqueness of the product is excellent.”
Ratcliffe’s journey also appeals to customers like Theo Nittis, 50, of Bloomfield Hills — the first Grenadier buyer in Michigan, who attended a Feldman Grenadier open house at Oakland County Airport this week.
“I’m a fan of Ratcliffe, who is known for his Land Rover collection and hunting lifestyle. Everyone wants to be Jim Corbett or Ernest Hemingway,” said Nittis, referring to the renowned author/hunters. “The Grenadier feels authentic. I love the aesthetic, the capability, and it’s different from the soccer mom SUVs that everyone drives.”
Not your soccer mom’s SUV: The 2024 Ineos Grenadier. Clarence Tabb Jr., The Detroit News
Industry veteran Rebecca Lindland, an auto analyst with Allison Worldwide Communications & Marketing, has worked the industry both as an analyst and as a communications chief with startup automaker Fisker. She says authenticity is key to Ineos’ appeal in a crowded U.S. marketplace.
“In the digital age, there is a real desire for authenticity. The homogenization of the industry is well-known,” she said. “There are customers who want a grittier feel like Ineos offers. It’s exciting to see new brands take a risk. People are looking for personalization for their vehicle.”
Like Wrangler, Bronco and Land Rover products, Grenadier can be customized to a customer’s taste with rugged options — not just paint color and wheels — but offerings like a snorkel, lights, winch, tent and shovel.
“I like the shovel. It’s not a pavement princess,” said Chris Kouza, 55, of Bloomfield Hills, who is looking to buy a Grenadier. “It’s different, and it’s half the price of a Mercedes G-Wagen.”
Jay Feldman says part of the reason he was attracted to Ineos is that "they are not over-dealered and the support, quality and uniqueness of the product is excellent. Clarence Tabb Jr., The Detroit News
Grenadier pricing starts at $76,700 and can be loaded with options close to $100K.
“A very close friend of mine has a Mercedes G-Wagen — a new one — and drove my Grenadier and felt like (it) drove better than his $150K G-Class,” smiled Feldman, who was drawn to the Grenadier when he saw them on the road during trips to Long Island, New York.
The Ineos’ presence (Feldman drives a black one) is undeniable, but sustaining the capital — and build quality — of a startup automaker is a daunting task as even heavily-capitalized startups like Tesla, Rivian and Lucid can attest. Analyst Lindland was chief communications director for electric startup automaker Fisker, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy last year.
“The appeal of the Grenadier to a narrow demographic is undeniable,” Lindland said. “The success of Ineos will depend on their capital management. Auto startups always take more money than you think, and even billionaires expect a return on investment. There are no shortcuts.”
Ready for takeoff: The Ineos Grenadier’s cockpit looks more vintage aircraft than 21st century SUV. Clarence Tabb Jr., The Detroit News
She is impressed that “top-notch” Magna Steyr, an automotive engineering contractor, helped to develop the Grenadier for production in France. Magna also produces the Mercedes G-Class, BMW Z4 and Jaguar i-Pace EV under contract, and its manufacture of Fisker’s Ocean SUV helped that company attract early investment. Ineos also sources its engine from BMW and its 8-speed automatic transmission from Germany’s ZF.
“For a startup company, I have not had any quality issues,” said Feldman, whose dealership services Ineos products under the manufacturer’s five-year/60,000-mile warranty. “It’s really a solid vehicle. It’s designed with a lot of off-road capability.”
Feldman Auto has been successful since its first store opened in 1996 and now sprawls across 21 dealerships in Michigan, Indiana and Ohio, showcasing 14 brands. CEO Feldman located the Ineos store in Waterford Township alongside his Pre-owned Supercenter showroom for its proximity to upscale buyers in Birmingham, Bloomfield Hills and Oakland County Airport, where general aviation pilots/flyers pass by on a regular basis.
The Ineos Grenadier has some controls on the ceiling but in keeping with its austere nature, the visors have no mirrors. Clarence Tabb Jr., The Detroit News
Feldman has Grenadiers on display at the Somerset and Twelve Oaks shopping malls and ultimately plans for a fully-branded store in Novi.
“It’s a startup brand, and recognition is an issue for right now (which) goes with any startup brand,” he said. “It’s going to take time for people to recognize it and realize it’s going to be around to stay. Having Feldman behind it — people know that we wouldn’t have picked a brand like this if we didn’t know it had legs.”
Recognition will get a boost from a second Ineos product, the Quartermaster, that will begin arriving in the next 60-90 days. It’s similar to Grenadier — and adds a pickup bed out back. Think the Gladiator pickup based on the Jeep Wrangler or the Rivian R1T pickup.
Its cockpit will feature the Grenadier’s modern, monostable BMW shifter and that throwback, switch-rich, aircraft cockpit.
“My wife thought I was nuts when I brought it home and it didn’t have, for example, mirrors on the sun visors,” laughed owner Nittis, who takes the SUV up north on hunting trips. “But the reliability has been shockingly good. It has plenty of modern appointments like leather seats from Recaro that are the most comfortable I’ve ever driven in.”
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne.