The INEOS Grenadier – due for launch in South Africa soon – will shortly begin rolling off the production line at the company’s Hambach plant signalling the final stage in the company’s transition from ‘project’ to automotive manufacturer.
The line now dedicated to the Grenadier includes a new fully automated body shop, a new semi-automated paint shop, and an upgraded general assembly facility. Hambach also benefits from a new high-tech quality assessment centre.
Having taken just 12 months to reconfigure the new line for the Grenadier, INEOS is nearing the end of a first production try-out (PTO1) phase. Building 130 PTO1 Grenadiers is crucial for defining the assembly process and provides the engineering team with production-representative vehicles for final rounds of testing and certification.
The PTO2 phase starts in March to validate the assembly process and build quality, before production of launch series vehicles proves out the supply chain, logistics, and build rate.
More than 100 sales and service partners around the world have been nominated, and contracts have been signed with parts distribution and retail finance partners.
“Some 15 000 customers worldwide have reserved their Grenadier,” says Dirk Heilmann, CEO of INEOS Automotive. “We want to deliver a vehicle that’s ready, and we won’t cut corners. With the benefit of the highly skilled and experienced team at Hambach, as well as the expertise in safety and quality that we have employed, we are on target to begin series production in July.”
Full pricing and specifications will be announced in April 2022, when customers in Europe, Africa, Asia Pacific, and the Middle East can finalise their orders either directly with INEOS online, or via their local retailer.
INEOS Hambach Facility
