Photo: INEOS Automotive
INEOS is rolling out a new model. It is the Fusilier, a 4x4 that drops as both an EV and a range-extender electric. The Fusilier transfers the genes of the Grenadier giant into a smaller pack with zero emissions.
The new Fusilier is slightly shorter in both length and height than the Grenadier, but without compromising the on- and off-road performance, Sir Jim Ratcliffe, claims. And we tend to believe him since the testing stage will include Austria’s famous Schockl mountain, where the Mercedes-Benz G-Class also undergoes off-road testing.
Speaking of which, we see quite a resemblance there. It is the same boxy shape, starting with the round headlamps and ending with the spare wheel mounted at the back. G-Wagon much?
The carmaker's chairman made a promise back in 2022: to build an EV. And here it is! Developed and manufactured in partnership with Magna, the new model will roll off the production line in Graz, Austria, instead of Hambach, France.
It is a facility that INEOS bought from Mercedes-Benz back in 2020. The production center in France is where the automaker is building the Grenadier SUV.
The Fusilier will be underpinned by a bespoke skateboard platform with a steel top hat and underbody and will feature aluminum doors and closures, which refers to the opening parts, such as the hood and the trunk doors, which seem to be two, just like in the Grenadier.
That is a move that will keep the weight under control. There is no information about the capacity of the battery or range, but the SUV will reportedly be capable of driving as far as 249 miles (400 kilometers) before it needs to be plugged in again.
The British carmaker patented the Fusilier designation in January 2023, together with other names like the Privateer, Brigadier, Quartermaster, Sapper, and Gunner. We have already met the Quartermaster, the brand's pickup truck, unveiled last year.
Powered by the exact same engines with the exact same outputs as the Grenadier, both diesel and petrol supplied by BMW, the Quartermaster entered production last fall.
INEOS is offering the upcoming Fusilier with two powertrains. One will be exclusively electric, while the other one will integrate a range extender. “We are beginning to understand the clear limitations of battery electric in certain situations,” Jim Ratcliffe admits. This is how the carmaker is trying to help the future owners of the Fusilier get rid of the range anxiety that many experience in EVs.
The range-extender variant comes with a small petrol engine that powers a generator for moments when it is impossible to plug the car in like the middle of nowhere while off-roading. However, INEOS keeps the details under wraps and promises to disclose them in the fall. There is no deadline regarding the start of production or market launch, but INEOS will probably fill us in along the way.
Speaking of which, we see quite a resemblance there. It is the same boxy shape, starting with the round headlamps and ending with the spare wheel mounted at the back. G-Wagon much?
The carmaker's chairman made a promise back in 2022: to build an EV. And here it is! Developed and manufactured in partnership with Magna, the new model will roll off the production line in Graz, Austria, instead of Hambach, France.
It is a facility that INEOS bought from Mercedes-Benz back in 2020. The production center in France is where the automaker is building the Grenadier SUV.
The Fusilier will be underpinned by a bespoke skateboard platform with a steel top hat and underbody and will feature aluminum doors and closures, which refers to the opening parts, such as the hood and the trunk doors, which seem to be two, just like in the Grenadier.
That is a move that will keep the weight under control. There is no information about the capacity of the battery or range, but the SUV will reportedly be capable of driving as far as 249 miles (400 kilometers) before it needs to be plugged in again.
The British carmaker patented the Fusilier designation in January 2023, together with other names like the Privateer, Brigadier, Quartermaster, Sapper, and Gunner. We have already met the Quartermaster, the brand's pickup truck, unveiled last year.
Powered by the exact same engines with the exact same outputs as the Grenadier, both diesel and petrol supplied by BMW, the Quartermaster entered production last fall.
INEOS is offering the upcoming Fusilier with two powertrains. One will be exclusively electric, while the other one will integrate a range extender. “We are beginning to understand the clear limitations of battery electric in certain situations,” Jim Ratcliffe admits. This is how the carmaker is trying to help the future owners of the Fusilier get rid of the range anxiety that many experience in EVs.
The range-extender variant comes with a small petrol engine that powers a generator for moments when it is impossible to plug the car in like the middle of nowhere while off-roading. However, INEOS keeps the details under wraps and promises to disclose them in the fall. There is no deadline regarding the start of production or market launch, but INEOS will probably fill us in along the way.
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