The upcoming Grenadier has just completed a key phase of off-road testing in Austria, marking a step closer to the 4×4 coming to market.
The car has been trail and off-road tested on the Schöckl mountain in Austria (see right).
INEOS Chairman Sir Jim Ratcliffe says they have ‘made great strides’ since he first drove an early version of the Grenadier a year ago adding: “The Schöckl is a proper challenge for any 4X4. Today was a real test for our prototypes, and they came through very well. There is still work to do, but I am confident that the Grenadier will do the job we have developed it for.”
Sir Jim Ratcliffe was on hand to see the development in person
A key engineering partner is Magna Steyr, based just down the road from the Schöckl mountain, who helped ensure this crucial stage of testing went to plan.
INEOS is now set to intensify development so that production can begin in Hambuch in July 2022.
The plan now is for 130 second-phase prototypes to get out in extreme environments around the world and rack up some 1.8 million kilometres.
Cold weather engine calibration has already been completed in northern Sweden but hot weather testing will take place soon in Death Valley and the sand dunes of the Middle East.
Dirk Heilmann, CEO of INEOS Automotive, said:“Reaching this important development milestone is a great step forward for the project. We only have one opportunity to get this right and our quality and performance targets for the Grenadier remain paramount. We won’t cut corners. After today’s very positive results we are on track to reach our targets and to allow the start of production in July next year at the latest.”
Watch the video of this latest stage of development below:
See more at www.ineosgrenadier.com
