Toyota LandCruiser 70 Series and HiLux in Ineos' sights with planned Grenadier spin-offs

In an automotive world where manufacturers are struggling to fill new niches every day, with the inevitable model propagation that comes with it, it seems Ineos is prepared to go it alone.

Discussions with the brand’s Australian marketing team this week revealed that the company believed it could tough it out as a one-platform brand.

But the secret will be in spinning multiple variants off that same platform.

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Ineos Automotive’s Australian marketing manager, Tom Smith, told CarsGuide that the company could definitely survive with just one platform in production.

“This (the Grenadier off-roader) might sound like a passion project, but it’s ultimately designed to make a profit,” he said.

“And the business case lines up.

“A company can be competitive with one product line.

And that’s where multiple products from the same basic architecture comes in. Of course, there’s nothing new there; every major carmaker is working on or has implemented modular or scalable platforms to present as many different products as possible from the one DNA sample.

“There’s room for a lot of variations from one platform, rather than all-new platforms. Everything’s configurable, including our production facility,” Mr Smith said.

Ineos has already announced some details of the first new vehicle to be spun off the Grenadier’s live-axle, coil-sprung platform.

The dual-cab ute version of the vehicle will tackle vehicles like the Toyota 70 Series and Jeep Gladiator head-on and, like the Jeep, will have a longer wheelbase than its donor car.

We also know that the dual-cab Ineos will have a 3500kg towing ability and a one-tonne payload, making it a genuine contender in its segment.

Next cab off the rank will be a two-seat version of the Grenadier which is clearly aimed at mine-spec LandCruisers and industries such as emergency first-responders.

Rather than new platforms, variations within the Ineos model line-up are more likely to be centred around alternative fuels, including hydrogen which is already a big part of the larger Ineos global operation.