Ineos order books open next month

BY MATT BROGAN | 28th Apr 2022

INEOS Automotive has announced details of its Australian and New Zealand retail locations. The 32 sites – mostly situated in rural and regional areas – are part of the brand’s growing network throughout region – and the first of 160 locations to be confirmed in markets across the globe.

With local order books for Grenadier’s four-wheel drive set to open next month, the mix of outlets comprise established dealer groups, 4WD specialists, as well as agricultural-equipment dealers. The British brand says its retail partners were “handpicked based on the extensive knowledge and support they can offer Grenadier customers”.

Ineos has so far named retail outlet locations in ACT (Canberra), New South Wales (Central Coast, Dubbo, Newcastle, Orange, Port Macquarie, Sydney, Tamworth and Woollongong), Northern Territory (Darwin), Queensland (Brisbane, Cairns, Gold Coast, Mackay, Noosa, Rockhampton, Toowoomba and Townsville), South Australia (Adelaide), Tasmania (Launceston), Victoria (Ballarat, Geelong, Melbourne, Mildura, Shepparton and Warragul), and Western Australia (Geraldton and Perth).

New Zealand operations will be handled by the Armstrong’s franchise, with locations in Auckland, Christchurch, Dunedin and Wellington.

By the end of 2022, Ineos plans to have a network of 200 sales and service sites spanning more than 50 countries.

Speaking to GoAuto previously, Ineos Automotive APAC head of sales and marketing, Justin Hocevar, said the direct distribution (or agency) model offered by Grenadier would enable customers to “distil down what it is they want from our retail strategy”.

“There’s been a lot of surveying and engagement with potential customers to distil down what it is they want from our retail strategy, and from the sales and customer service experience,” Mr Hocevar told GoAuto.

“What we learnt from that is that a direct distribution model with online and face-to-face sales and support is essential to the success of Grenadier in Australia and New Zealand, and we’re working closely with our agency partners to ensure a “customer service before sales” approach.

“We’ll have bricks and mortar showrooms that will be commensurate with the brand. They won’t be gin palaces, just comfortable and purposeful facilities where the Grenadier is the hero, and where the showroom is located within reasonable proximity to the Grenadier’s customer base.”

Ineos says its sales partners will be responsible for the display of vehicles, facilitating test drives, supporting customer deliveries and, importantly, providing the necessary aftersales care.

Partners will receive a straight-forward commission from Ineos Automotive, which ensures pricing consistency and limits the financial investment of a partner to engage with Ineos Automotive, it says.

As reported by GoAuto previously, Grenadier servicing will be handled by Bosch’s 120 workshops across the country.

The Ineos Grenadier will eventually be offered in two-seat/five-door wagon, five-seat/five-door wagon, and five-seat/two-door utility configurations. To date, the company has only announced pricing of the former, which will retail from $84,500 (plus on-road costs) in Australia and $93,500 (+ ORCs) in New Zealand.

Ineos says the Grenadier will be a “no frills but capable package that’s entirely fit for purpose” and that it matches the braked towing capacity of its nearest rivals at 3500kg. The Grenadier’s chief rival is the long-serving Toyota LandCruiser 76 Series Workmate (from $67,400) and any number of ute-based 4WD wagons including those from Ford, Isuzu, Mitsubishi and Toyota.

The competition will grow to include a vast number of utility models when the dual-cab Grenadier arrives in 2023 or 2024.

“The selection of sales and distribution partners across Australia and New Zealand is an extremely important process,” reiterated Mr Hocevar this week.

“We are committed to working with partners who hold the right credentials to represent the Ineos Automotive brand not just within metropolitan cities, but in the heartland of Ineos Automotive’s customer base – regional Australia.”

“Australia is a vast country that’s just waiting to be explored. We welcome our highly dedicated partners who are just as passionate and excited for the launch of the Ineos Grenadier in Australia later this year.

“Having the full confidence in a thoroughly engineered off-road vehicle needs to be backed by the support of a comprehensive network. Our partners will be invaluable in ensuring Australians can explore this great land with the assurance of help, guidance and service wherever your Grenadier may take you.”

Deliveries of the first two-seat/five-door Grenadier wagon are expected to commence locally at the end of the year.

Australian Ineos dealerships:

ACT