Ineos marches into China with Grenadier

Ineos Automotive launched its off-roader, the Grenadier, on Wednesday in Beijing, marking the British carmaker's foray into the world's largest vehicle market.

The model, available in three variants, is priced from 808,000 yuan ($114,899) to 908,000 yuan. It will take on models like the Mercedes G-Class and Jaguar Land Rover's Defender.

Michael Peng, head of Ineos Automotive China, said China is one of the most important markets for the carmaker, adding that Ineos started preparations for its entry into the country two years ago.

Peng has extensive experience in the premium and luxury automotive industry, having worked as a senior executive in Porsche and Aston Martin.

The Grenadier was named after a pub in London where Jim Ratcliffe, Ineos Chairman, first saw the gap in the market for what he called an "uncompromising" off-roader.

Ineos, which is Ineos Automotive's parent company, is one of the world's largest chemical producers and a significant player in the oil and gas market.

"We want to build the world's purest 4X4 and are aiming it at explorers, farmers and off-road enthusiasts across the globe," said Ratcliffe when he first came up with the plan.

The Grenadier's purity is evidenced by, among other things, not only its rugged look but so many physical buttons already rarely seen in modern-day vehicles, especially in the Chinese market.

It is one of the most cosmopolitan models as well. Inspired by the original Defender from British brand Land Rover, it is manufactured with German engineering rigor in a former Mercedes plant located in Hambach, France.