Projekt Grenadier

[XJ Junkie]

This is a news article about the imminent competitor to the Defender.

https://www.ineos.com/businesses/ineos- ... g-partner/

“INEOS Automotive and German engineering company MBtech have struck a landmark deal which will see the companies officially partner to develop Projekt Grenadier’s vehicle. MBtech was founded in 1995 as Mercedes-Benz Technologies. Although the majority of its work remains with Mercedes-Benz, MBtech also works with a wide range of other automotive clients, including Porsche and BMW. The company will take the lead on overall vehicle development overseeing all components of the upcoming 4x4.

MBtech will begin work to take the initial design concepts through to a fully engineered vehicle and will be producing the first mule vehicles, followed by prototypes, later in 2018. It will be responsible for working up the exact specifications of the vehicle to ensure that it is a truly rugged, reliable and uncompromising 4x4.

The official partnership agreement was signed between INEOS Automotive CEO Dirk Heilmann and MBtech representatives in the historic Grenadier pub in Belgravia, the birthplace of the Projekt Grenadier concept. The partnership represents a major step forward for Projekt Grenadier, as automotive experts and engineers officially begin work on design and build to a tight project timeline.

By the spring, over 200 world-class engineers will be working full-time on the project near Stuttgart, Germany, one of the vehicle development capitals of Europe, complemented by significant growth of the INEOS Automotive team in London.

Dirk Heilmann, CEO of INEOS Automotive, said: “Today’s agreement represents a very exciting step for Projekt Grenadier. We have found a quality partner in MBtech who we believe have the competency, talent, and foresight to enable us to deliver a high-quality vehicle to the market. This deal will bring together German engineering and British entrepreneurship to create a truly formidable off roader.”

Alexander Quint, Head of Engineering at INEOS Automotive, said: “This agreement represents a great end to many months’ work securing the perfect partner for Projekt Grenadier’s development. We are working to create a very special car and it was essential for us to find the right partner. I believe MBtech’s reputation for quality, reliability and craftsmanship, alongside their long and proud history, make them the right choice. We have a supreme level of confidence in their engineering skills and know we have made the right decision.”

Henry Kohlstruck, Managing Director of MBtech, said: “All of us at MBtech are looking forward to getting involved in this once-in-a-generation opportunity to develop a truly uncompromising off-road vehicle. The next six months are where the real work will begin as we take all the design variables into account. Our key competencies lie in developing SUVs and 4x4s, and we are very excited to be given such freedom and responsibility to help complete a fantastic automotive project.” Work on the designing of the car can now officially begin, with a target agreement on the car’s specifications expected by mid-2018.”

[Crips]

Any ideas what it's going to look like?
Pricing should be intresting as well, hopefully not G-Wagon type pricing

Sent from my SM-G955F using Tapatalk

[XJ Junkie]

Any ideas what it's going to look like?
Pricing should be intresting as well, hopefully not G-Wagon type pricing

Nothing. No idea. I’ve been watching the net for over a year but so far there’s zero indications.

Pricing should be the same as the Defenders league they reckon.

Jim Ratcliffe is a real Land Rover nut so we can expect it to be the real thing, maybe better. He’s certainly got the money to pull it off.

[XJ Junkie]

Some recent news on the Grenadier:

It’ll be using BMW engines, likely the Grenadier will use BMW’s 190 kw 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol & the 195 kw 3.0-litre straight-six diesels.

Further info confirms the following:

- it’ll be close to the Defender’s platform.
- body-on-frame construction with a steel ladder chassis and an aluminium body.
- it’ll be “fairly light,” with a towing capacity of 3.5 tonnes and a one-tonne payload.
- there will be station wagon & pick up versions but there’s no confirmation of a shorty version.
- bodies will be aluminum

The interior won’t have carpets but there will be drain plugs so that dirt can be hosed out. It won’t even have infotainment. Instead, it’ll just have a phone mount.

It sounds like they know what they are doing.

Should be ready in 2020/21



https://www.autoexpress.co.uk/land-rove ... -announced

[Disco Nic]

This should be fairly exciting.

[Apocalypse]

Should be fun. It is actually mind boggling that - given the success of the Wrangler that Land Rover have just abandoned the entire live axle market to them. Even the Merc GWagen has gone Independent at the front which is not doing them favours amongst the US enthusiasts.

If it makes sense for a company like Toyota to keep plodding out live axle kidney killing 4x4s because enough people buy them, it has to make sense for Land Rover.

The big thing with a Defender is that it's more of a truck than a Wrangler - load capacities are enormous. The JL pickup has moved into that territory a bit, but a real Defender replacement will surely sell well.

[XJ Junkie]

Agreed Apoc. Jeep sell about 250000 Wranglers per year, so there’s a market.

[Mad Manny]

Years ago we were shown a video at work using Harley Davidson as a case study in Management Training.
Harley Davidson had lost the plot, they had bikes on showroom floors with drip trays to catch the oil.
The Japs (Honda, Suzuki, Kawasaki, Yamaha etc) poured in with faster, cheaper, better bikes & Harley was in trouble.
How Harley turned it around was the lesson being taught.

In years to come, the monumental Blunder that Land Rover made by not keeping the Defender up to date & relevant like Toyota did with the Land Cruiser 70 Series (to a lesser extent) & Jeep did with the Wrangler (to a greater extent), will, I predict, be used as management training on how not to keep a great product selling....

[XJ Junkie]

Indeed Manny. Land Rover, which supposed to be a marque associated off-roading, effectively no longer make 4x4s & are going to pay a big price for their hubris. It’s not surprising that their design office is in a place called Gaydom. True story.

[Apocalypse]

You know the rule about when real men may cry?

you may cry in a movie when a heroic dog dies saving it's master.

you may cry in 'the crying game' in THAT scene.

there was recently a new category added.

the day you walked into a Land Rover Showroom and they didn't have a new real 4x4 to sell you...

[XJ Junkie]

It’s confirmed for launch in 2021.

They use a Everest Mule in the video to test the chassis. That must be the worlds most capable Everest

https://www.ineosgrenadier.com/the-vehi ... _campaign=

[Mad Manny]

They use a Everest Mule in the video to test the chassis.

Interesting - the Everest is the basis of the upcoming (& also too long in incubation) Ford Bronco...

[XJ Junkie]

Although I think the Bronco suspension is going to be independent, whereas the Grenadier is most definitely going to be solid axles.

[Mike Nel]

They started building a facility which will be used for assembly. They want this thing on the market 2021.

Can't wait to see it, even a rendering of some sorts

[Reenen]