Ineos vehicles are rapidly becoming a sought-after brand on the global stage, making notable inroads in some of the world’s toughest markets. Inspired by the original Land Rover Defender of the 1980s, Ineos’ flagship the Grenadier is about as no-frills as a premium SUV can be and what’s more, the concept for these amazing vehicles was in fact born in Southern Africa.
This is according to the regional manager for Ineos Africa, Gilles Masier, who recently sat down with Woema. He said the Ineos concept originated when the brand’s founder, Sir Jim Ratcliffe, was on safari in Southern Africa. It was here that Ratcliffe learned the Land Rover Defender he was so fond of would be discontinued. Right there and then, he decided to make his version called the Ineos Grenadier to rival the reliability and capabilities of the legendary Defender.
A chemical engineer by profession, Ratcliffe made his fortune when he founded Ineos Chemicals, a privately-owned London-based global manufacturer of chemicals, gases and plastics. An ardent fan of the original Defender, he threw his weight (and money) behind the five-year development of a modern 4×4 with traditionalist sensibilities, and named it after his favourite London pub, The Grenadier.
“Yes, we’re making incredible progress because when you look at it, we’ve only been selling the Grenadier for two years, and we are already present in 50 markets,” said Masier, who pointed out the Ineos vehicles are actually perfectly suited for Africa’s harsh environments.
Explaining the strategy behind Ineos’ success, Masier said the Grenadier is a vehicle for the world, for global markets, which is why it would not have made sense to solely start marketing and selling the vehicles in the United Kingdom or in Europe.
“We decided to go global. So, we are now present in 50 markets, which is, I mean, an incredible performance for such a small company. We are very happy with the progress we’re making and we’ve got big ambitions to grow, because 50 markets are what we currently have, but we have ambitions to grow in more markets, such as in Africa, in South America, and in Asia,” said Masier.
He elaborated that for 2024, Ineos embarked on significant developments in new markets such as China and Mexico, while 2025 will see the brand penetrate Africa, Asia and South America.
While Masier noted the company is quite happy with their current vehicles, mostly because it is meeting and also exceeding customer expectations with exceptional offroad and on-road performance, some new developments are indeed in the pipeline.
“In terms of product development, we are looking at several directions. We are looking at a direction where we might be making the Grenadier a little bit more premium,” said Masier.
He added that while Ineos vehicles are currently only available with a straight 6-cylinder engine, the company has already built a V8 prototype in response to demand for more power from markets such as the Middle East.
Arcane Works
Masier noted that Ineos recently launched a new division called Arcane Works that personalises and customises the brand’s vehicles for high-net-worth individuals.
“This division focuses on building vehicles to meet individual needs. For example, if you want
to have a different paint colour, if you want to have different upholstery of a specific leather, then Arcane Works does all the customising”, he said.
Moreover, due to increasing popularity, Ineos is targeting close to 50% growth during 2025 in key markets such as the United States.