Ineos is officially building pickups, bound for sale in U.S. next year

First, let’s recap: Ineos is a global petrochemical giant headquartered in London with 36 businesses in 29 countries that generate $65 billion annually. Its founder and chairman is Sir Jim Ratcliffe. In 2017, he founded Ineos Automotive Limited to build what Ratcliffe called the “spiritual successor” to the workhorse Land Rover Defender SUV. Called the Grenadier, named after Ratcliffe’s favorite London pub, it would be built in France, using BMW engines. It went into production in 2022.

Now comes word from another Automotive News report that the pickup version of the Grenadier, called the Quartermaster and built on the same production line as the SUV, has entered production at the company’s plant in Hambach, France. It’ll be coming to the U.S., too, with sales starting next year at about 35 North American dealerships, according to Automotive News. (Check out this map, provided by Ineos, if you’re interested.)

Here’s our test drive of the Grenadier, which lists in the U.S. for $73,100.

The Quartermaster name, according to Ineos, hails from the similarly named senior military officer “responsible for the supply and distribution of provisions.” The double-cab pickup has a length of 212.6 inches, about an inch and a half longer than a Ford Ranger, and will offer seating for five. The 127-inch wheelbase of the Quartermaster is a foot longer than that of the SUV, as well.

The Quartermaster pickup is expected to be very rugged, like the Grenadier SUV is; Ineos says the two were developed in tandem. The pickup is powered by the same 3.0-liter, turbocharged BMW six-cylinder—which makes 281 hp and 332 lb-ft of torque—and ZF eight-speed automatic transmission used in the Grenadier SUV. There’s also a twin-turbo diesel version of the straight-six, but that powerplant won’t be available in the U.S. (Don’t feel threatened, Cybertruck fans: The Quartermaster is much smaller than Tesla’s pickup, and full electric power is reportedly years away for Ineos.)

The Quartermaster’s full box-section ladder-frame chassis and heavy-duty solid beam axles, as well as a two-speed transfer case and up to three locking differentials, are also shared with the SUV. All that off-road capability won’t come at the cost of truck stuff, either: Ineos says the new model can tow up to 7700 pounds and has a payload capacity of 1675 pounds.

Ineos says that a chassis-cab model—essentially the cab and running gear minus the truck bed—will also enter production in 2024, aimed at conversion specialists and commercial vehicle-body builders. There’s no word yet on whether we’ll see that version stateside. European customer deliveries of the Grenadier Quartermaster begin next month, with shipments to Asia Pacific, Sub-Saharan Africa, and the Middle East to follow soon after.

The North American market, meanwhile, won’t see deliveries begin until early 2024. While pricing hasn’t been announced yet, it’s expected that the truck version will carry a heftier price tag than its SUV sibling. When you account for the fact that this one will be subject to a 25-percent U.S. tariff commonly referred to as the “chicken tax,” which applies to light trucks built outside of the U.S., that price is probably going to be rather steep.

Greg Clark, Ineos Automotive’s executive vice president for the Americas, told Automotive News that Ineos feels there’s enough interest here in the U.S. to overcome the steep tariff. “The level of enthusiasm we have had for the Quartermaster, particularly in the U.S. from dealers—they all know it is subject to a 25 percent duty, and they don’t care,” Clark told AN. “The first question dealers ask is ‘When is it coming?’ They want it.”

Bring it on.

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