Ratcliffe bids to replace Army Land Rovers with Ineos Grenadiers

Sir Jim Ratcliffe, the billionaire Ineos boss, is bidding for his Grenadier 4x4 off-roader to replace Land Rover as the British Army’s vehicle of choice.The chemicals tycoon and Manchester United co-owner has entered the race to secure a lucrative contract from the Ministry of Defence (MoD) to replace the Army’s ageing fleet of 5,000 Land Rovers.He will be battling against Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), which is also bidding for the contract with a military version of its new Defender, a modernisation of the old Land Rover.The Ineos Grenadier was conceived by Sir Jim, who claims to have sketched his design on a £5 note during an evening at The Grenadier pub in Belgravia, central London. It has since evolved into a serious contender for the world’s most demanding front-line roles.The car’s similarity to the original, out-of-production Land Rover – a design Sir Jim has admitted inspired him – triggered a legal battle after JLR accused the tycoon of copying the Defender.But in 2020, a court ruled the British carmaker could not trademark the shape of its vehicle as it lacked “distinctiveness”, clearing the way for Ineos to build its rival model.Sir Jim founded Ineos Automotive in 2017 with a mission to build a vehicle that prioritised mechanical “analogue” reliability over digital complexity. BMW provided the 3.0-litre petrol and diesel engines to power the Grenadier.Despite its culturally British origins, the Grenadier is manufactured in a former Mercedes-Benz factory in Hambach, north-east France, which previously made Smart cars.Mike Whittington, the chief commercial officer at Ineos Automotive, said the Grenadier was the “ideal choice” for defence services.He added: “It’s the most capable 4x4 and its local supply lines make it ideal for deployment in European countries, for sovereign defence and operations in the UK and on the Continent.“Ineos wants to extend the availability of the Grenadier to as many governments as possible and build on the demand from forces across Europe, including elite counter-terrorism and special operations units in Germany and France, as well as border forces in Germany, Poland, Serbia, Slovakia, Hungary and Spain.”The MoD announced this year that it plans to replace the army’s ageing fleet of Land Rover “Wolf” Defenders, which were introduced more than three decades ago and are now reaching the end of their operational lives.The retirement marks the end of an era for a vehicle that has been at the heart of British military operations since the 1950s. Ministers said the first replacement light mobility vehicles are expected to be in operation by 2030.Securing the Army contract would be a significant coup for Sir Jim, who made his fortune after founding the Ineos petrochemicals empire.The prominent Brexiteer, who moved to Monaco in 2020 to save around £4bn in tax, recently caused controversy after claiming Britain had become “colonised” by immigrants. He later apologised that his “choice of language has offended some people”.Other contenders for the Army contract include BAE Systems, which is working with US automotive giant General Motors and NP Aerospace to form a joint venture called Team Lionstrike.JLR confirmed its involvement in the bidding, adding that it would be the only UK-designed and engineered contender available for the MoD programme.Mark Cameron, the managing director of Defender at JLR, said: “Defender will again begin supplying UK designed and engineered light logistics vehicles for people and equipment transportation for the defence and blue light sectors, which Defender has a long history of supporting.“We will be exploring potential partnerships, including with organisations like the UK Ministry of Defence.”