After a few months ago we found out that the Ineos Grenadier was not going to be (partially) produced in Estarreja, now we find out where INEOS Automotive will produce the all terrain suitable for fans of the original Land Rover Defender.
Confirming the intentions of producing all terrain in an “industrial unit already in operation, taking advantage of the workforce with a history of construction in the automobile area and the installed technical capacity”, INEOS Automotive announced the purchase of the Mercedes-Benz factory in Hambach , where the Smart EQ fortwo is currently produced.
If you remember, Daimler had been looking to sell the French factory for some time now, where, since 1997, more than 2.2 million units of the various generations of the fortwo (and more recently forfour) have been produced. This is because, after having sold 50% of Smart to Geely, Daimler agreed that the development and production of the brand's next generation city dwellers would be transferred to China.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe, President of INEOS GroupHambach presented us with a unique opportunity, which we could not possibly ignore: to acquire a modern car production facility with a world-class workforce.
centrality is key
Regarding this purchase, INEOS Automotive highlights that it “guarantees the future of the unit, as well as safeguarding many jobs”, noting that its location on the Franco-German border, 200 km from Stuttgart, provides privileged access supply chains, automotive industry talent and target markets.Subscribe to our newsletter
According to a statement released by INEOS Automotive, the two brands must agree to continue production of the Smart EQ fortwo and some Mercedes-Benz components at the Hambach plant. This will translate into around 1300 jobs.
Dirk Heilmann, CEO of INEOS Automotive,This acquisition marks our biggest milestone to date in the development of Grenadier. Together with the exhaustive testing program the prototypes are undergoing, we can now start preparations for the start of production in Hambach of our 4X4 from the end of next year, for deliveries to our customers worldwide .
Hydrogen is also a bet
In addition to announcing the purchase of the Hambach factory from Daimler, INEOS Automotive also announced the signing of a memorandum of understanding with Hyundai so that, together, the two brands explore new opportunities related to the hydrogen economy.
These include the production and supply of hydrogen, business models, new technologies and new ways of applying hydrogen. In addition, the two companies will also collaborate in exploring the use of the Fuel Cell Hyundai system at INEOS Grenadier.
In case you didn't know, through its subsidiary INOVYN, INEOS is currently the largest existing operator of electrolysis in Europe, a technology that uses renewable energy to produce hydrogen to generate energy, means of transport and industrial use.