The alternative to the Land Rover Defender will be touching down in SA towards the end of next year and the brand has confirmed its dealership/servicing plans.

The Ineos Grenadier is said to be an alternative offroad-capable SUV. Inspired by the original Land Rover Defender, Ineos founder Jim Ratcliffe initially tried to buy the rights/plans for the Defender, but naturally Jaguar Land Rover fought tooth and nail to protect one of its most iconic nameplates.

So, Ratcliffe decided to create his own version. Given how the market has moved away from the hardcore offroad and semi-military applications and there are just a handful of models playing in this space (think of your non-AMG Mercedes-Benz G-Class and Toyota Land Cruisers), Ratcliffe and Ineos reckon they’re onto something. Impressively, BMW is the engine supplier and the Grenadier will be powered by Munich’s petrol and diesel 3.0 straight-6 engines.

During a recent online meeting, Ineos shared its plans and strategy for the global market, but crucially confirmed its plans for Sub-Saharan Africa. That’s us! With the first customer cars tentatively scheduled to touch down in South Africa in October 2022, attention now turns to dealership sales and servicing.

With Ineos partnering with BMW when it comes to powertrain, it makes total sense to make use of specialists who are already fluent in such tech. In this case, Ineos will be turning to Bosch Car Service outlets.

For the South African market, Ineos has signed deals with SMH Group to cover the Pretoria and Johannesburg regions, while SMG will be used to cover Durban and Cape Town. These groups will be responsible for sales and servicing, with further locations to be announced later for servicing only.

Interestingly, the man at the top for our region is none other than former BMW SA boss Tim Abbott. Not only does he understand the South African motoring landscape, but his expertise from BMW which powers the Grenadier will be coming in handy.

It’s quite cheeky to be testing your new offroader in the G-Class’ back yard

Ineos Grenadier Price in South Africa

As far as how much the new Ineos Grenadier will cost, indicative pricing has been pegged at R1 395 000. So far, 75 000 people have indicated they’re interested in the purchase of the new Ineos Grenadier. Prototypes of this offroad-ready vehicle will be arriving in South Africa for testing and we look forward to spotting them out in the wild.

Further Reading

Ineos Grenadier cabin looks incredible

Ineos Grenadier prototype drive