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Our spy photographers have caught the new Ineos Grenadier on camera for the first time. Austrian vehicle development company Magna Steyr is pushing the off-roader through the final stages of its development programme, ahead of its expected UK launch date in 2021.
When the project was first announced, Ineos Automotive said it would produce a spiritual successor for the previous-generation Land Rover Defender – and, judging by these spy shots, the company has remained true to its word.
This Grenadier mule shares the same boxy proportions as the old Defender, with similarly angular doors and window glass. It also shares the Land Rover’s slatted radiator grille, flat bonnet, round headlamps and upright windscreen – and, under the front bumper, there’s a thick sump guard.
Dirk Heilmann, CEO of Ineos Automotive has previously said that the Grenadier’s shell will be all-new – although it’ll have a retro design language with surfaces “flat enough to rest a mug on.” Like the old Defender, it will come in a range of body styles, including a traditional station wagon and a pick-up variant.
Heilmann also confirmed the Grenadier will mirror the original Defender’s platform closely, stating the SUV will have a body-on-frame construction with a steel ladder chassis and an aluminium body. He also said that the finished product would be “fairly light,” with a towing capacity of 3.5 tonnes and a one-tonne payload.
neos has signed a partnership with BMW, who will provide its 3.0-litre straight-six TwinPower turbo petrol and diesel engines for the Grenadier project. Both units will feed their power to a permanent all-wheel-drive system via an eight-speed automatic transmission only – with no manual option available.
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