Ineos – the start-up 4×4 brand offering only six-cylinder petrol and diesel engines in its cars – has slammed regulators’ pro-electric bias for limiting consumer choice and bringing the industry to its knees.
Lynn Calder, CEO of Ineos Automotive, went on the offensive at the FT’s Future of the Car summit. “Customers don’t want choice, they need choice,” she urged. “But the policy framework today [leads to] one tech solution which does not give choice.
“EV tech adopters are in cities with charging capability but [beyond them there’s] range anxiety, there’s no real investment in infrastructure, no real incentives to go electric. Policy is defining what people should buy and customers don’t want it.”
Ineos EV on hold
Ineos launched the Grenadier, a project to bring back a traditional SUV in the mould of the original Land Rover, in 2022. It’s the brainchild of British chemicals billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe and the old-school SUV runs BMW engines.
Diesel isn’t always a dirty word
The company is working on a smaller SUV, the Fusilier, which is set to offer a range extender hybrid. But the company has put a pure electric drivetrain on hold, claiming a lack of customer demand. If that changes, the Ineos EV would be a rival to Mercedes’ all-electric G-Class and the zero emissions Range Rover which will go into production this year.
