Ineos has expanded its vary of service and gross sales factors in Australia earlier than the Grenadier has even touched down.
The corporate has confirmed it’s added McRae Motors in Wodonga to its preliminary listing of gross sales and repair brokers, because it gears as much as launch the Grenadier four-wheel drive domestically.
That takes the Australian footprint to 29 websites, a part of a deliberate 200-strong world community in 50 nations by the tip of 2022.
Moderately than a conventional franchise mannequin, Ineos shall be working utilizing an company enterprise mannequin in Australia.
Its sellers have been dubbed “companions” and are liable for displaying inventory, dealing with take a look at drives, delivering autos to prospects, and providing after-sales help.
Ineos controls stock and pricing, and pays its companions a “straight-forward fee” for gross sales.
The complete listing of areas (under) features a smattering of city areas, however is concentrated closely on regional areas.
Not solely is that the place Ineos expects a major chunk of its consumers to be based mostly, it’s a part of a push to reassure homeowners they’ll have help if one thing goes fallacious deep within the wilderness.
Ineos APAC area boss, Justin Hocevar, mentioned a robust regional presence alerts to “those that stay within the giant, metropolitan islands on our coast, that once they do journey they’ve received entry to the help they want”.
A part of that can also be about with the ability to provide spare elements to homeowners shortly. The primary Ineos world elements warehouse is in Belgium, however the second shall be in Melbourne. It’s set to open “very shut” to Ineos’ begin of gross sales.
Past its personal service centres, Ineos says it’s taking an “open supply” method to upkeep.
It’s making service manuals and restore data simply accessible, and launching an e-commerce platform that enables unbiased mechanics to simply discover and purchase elements.
It’s taken an identical method with equipment. Anticipate to see an announcement on the vary of equipment being supplied for the Grenadier past what’s at the moment listed within the model’s configurator within the coming weeks.
“We’ve taken fairly an open-source method to partaking with the aftermarket,” Mr Hocevar mentioned. “We’ve gone to the aftermarket reveals, we’ve spoken to [manufacturers].”
“A few of them we’re within the early days of exchanging agreements the place we will present them with CAD knowledge, and we’ve agreed to offer them with early entry to manufacturing [cars] to allow them to do their growth work,” he defined.
“It’s fairly reverse to the standard method of claiming ‘effectively I’m going to wrap my arms round my OEM vary of equipment and defend that for so long as doable till the aftermarket reacts one or two years after launch’.
“We’re getting on the entrance foot earlier than we even begin promoting,” he mentioned.
Retail areas
Aaron Mind Motors, SheppartonMackay Metropolis Auto Group, MackayArmstrong Auto Group, ToowoombaMagic Enterprises, GeraldtonAutoworld, BallaratMagic Enterprises, PerthBrian Hilton Motor Group, Central CoastNoosa Auto Group. NoosaBrighton Automotive Holdings, MelbourneNorthstar Mildura Motors, MilduraBuckby Motors, LauncestonPickering’s Auto Group, TownsvilleCaravana, BrisbanePurnell Motors, SydneyDC Motors, RockhamptonRex Gorell, GeelongFraser’s, NewcastleRolfe Motors, CanberraFraser’s, WollongongSLRV Expedition Autos, Gold CoastJohn Oxley Motors, Port MacquarieTony Leahey Motor Group, OrangeJT Fossey, TamworthWarragul Metropolis Motors, GippslandKerry’s Automotive Group, AdelaideWestco Motors, CairnsKerry’s Automotive Group, DarwinWestern Plains Automotive, DubboMcRae Motors, Wodonga (new)
What’s the Ineos Grenadier?
The Grenadier is the brainchild of Sir Jim Ratcliffe, the British billionaire engineer and chairman of multinational petrochemical big Ineos. No expense has been spared on his ardour mission.
The official story says Ratcliffe was hanging out in London’s Grenadier pub in 2017, bemoaning Land Rover’s choice to kill the outdated Defender and exchange it with the extra fashionable and opulent new SUV mannequin.
Australia is taken into account internally to be a “core launch market” for the ladder-frame, inflexible axle Grenadier alongside Europe, the US and South Africa, that means locals get the form of precedence entry to autos many manufacturers would crave
Manufacturing Grenadiers are going to be constructed at a 210,000 square-metre ex-Mercedes-Benz plant in Hambach, France, that has since been bought by Ineos. Since 2019 the plant has obtained a claimed $770 million in upgrades, funded by each Mercedes-Benz and Ineos.
The bespoke growth autos had been constructed by Magna in Austria, and underwent a extensively coated torture-testing program.
Two physique types are being supplied in Australia at launch. The Grenadier Utility Wagon is a two-seater with a full-height crash barrier and flat flooring that may deal with a normal 1200mm x 800mm Euro pallet. The Station Wagon is a five-seater.
Energy comes from two 3.0-litre inline-six cylinder engines sourced from BMW. The petrol makes 210kW of energy and 450Nm of torque, whereas the diesel makes 183kW and 550Nm.
Each engines come mated to a ZF eight-speed computerized transmission (codenamed 8HP51 for the petrol, 8HP76 for the diesel), with what Ineos calls a brand new “heavy responsibility” torque converter.
All Grenadiers come commonplace with everlasting four-wheel drive (4WD), with low-range accessed by a 2.5:1 Tremec two-speed switch case.
Matching the class-leaders, the Grenadier may even have a 3.5-tonne braked towing capability.
Floor clearance is listed as 264mm, wading depth 800mm, method angle 36.3 levels, break over 28.2 levels, and departure angle 36.1 levels. Powder-coated skid plates and a fuel-tank plate are commonplace.
Pricing
There’s no haggling, with Ineos utilizing an ‘company mannequin’ with set pricing.
The corporate will management stock and pricing, and pay vendor companions with a “straight-forward fee”, a lot within the type of Mercedes-Benz and Honda.
A deposit cost of $5000 (refundable till the car contract is signed) secures a construct slot.
Grenadier Utility Wagon (two-seat)
2023 Ineos Grenadier Base petrol and diesel: $84,5002023 Ineos Grenadier Trailmaster petrol and diesel: $95,4952023 Ineos Grenadier Fieldmaster petrol and diesel: $95,495
Grenadier Station Wagon (five-seat)
2023 Ineos Grenadier Base petrol and diesel: $85,5002023 Ineos Grenadier Trailmaster petrol and diesel: $96,4952023 Ineos Grenadier Fieldmaster petrol and diesel: $96,495
All costs exclude on-road prices.
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