Chemical giant Ineos has been spied testing a prototype of ‘Land Rover Defender’ that gets its power from a BMW-sourced ‘B58’ turbocharged inline-six
The Land Rover Defender is a renowned no-nonsense off-roader that has served many generations of mankind with its great off-roading credentials and the resulting go-anywhere capabilities. However, the latest Defender is not exactly a direct replacement for the earlier model. While it’s really much more luxurious and refined than ever, it is no longer a simplistic workhorse that it was once appreciated for.
So, what if you are not interested in putting your money on all that jazz and instead, want something that captures the spirit of the original Defender? Well, Ineos, a chemical company, will soon come up with just what the doctor ordered.
Ineos announced the launch of its automobile business in 2017 and its first project, called
‘Projekt Grenadier’, back in 2017. The announcement of plans was surrounded by many great claims and interesting talks of chairman Jim Ratcliffe, who, apparently, came up with the idea of the first model in a London pub. Three years later, today, the project is finally reaching its production stage.
Recently, a set of spy images captured a prototype of the Projekt Grenadier being tested on a track. These images were captured in Graz, Austria, near Magna Steyr, the company that will be responsible for the bulk of development work. Magna Steyr comes across as an ideal partner for the development of the Ineos Defender.
The company has been responsible for the manufacturing of first and second-generation Mercedes G-Glass, and even developed Mercedes’ all-wheel drive system. Powering the Ineos Defender will be a BMW-sourced ‘B58’ turbocharged inline-six cylinder engine that should give the Grenadier a rather interesting, albeit, a slightly weak, link to the original Defender.
It may be noted here that back when Land Rover was in BMW’s control, it used to be on sale with an M52 straight-six motor. Production of the Grenadier, aka Ineos Defender, will be undertaken at a new facility that is currently under construction in Bridgend, Wales. Market launch should take place early next year.
