This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/business/2017/feb/13/chemical-giant-ineos-to-build-heir-to-the-land-rover-defender
The article has changed 3 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Chemical giant Ineos to build heir to the Land Rover Defender | Chemical giant Ineos to build heir to the Land Rover Defender |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| The chemicals group Ineos is to enter the car market, launching an off-road vehicle to replace the Land Rover Defender, which ceased production last year. | |
| Ineos, one of the largest manufacturing companies in the world, says it intends to invest “many hundreds of millions” in developing the new 4x4 off-road vehicle. | |
| The company says there is a gap in the market following the decision by Jaguar Land Rover to stop producing its famous Defender. | |
| “We want to build the world’s purest 4x4 and are aiming it at explorers, farmers and off-road enthusiasts across the globe,” said Jim Ratcliffe, chairman of Ineos. | “We want to build the world’s purest 4x4 and are aiming it at explorers, farmers and off-road enthusiasts across the globe,” said Jim Ratcliffe, chairman of Ineos. |
| Ineos is looking at sites across Europe to manufacture the new vehicle but hopes to find a suitable location in the UK. | Ineos is looking at sites across Europe to manufacture the new vehicle but hopes to find a suitable location in the UK. |
| The company said its off-road vehicle would not be a replica of the Defender butwould “reflect its philosophy” and “provide a step change improvement in build quality and reliability”. | |
| “This is an amazing project for everyone involved,” said Dirk Heilmann, chief executive of the newly formed Ineos Automotive. “Our job is to create the world’s best 4x4 and we are already moving forward with our plans.” | |
| Heilman, formerly head of engineering and technology at Ineos, is recruiting a team of automotive experts for the project. | |
| The decision to develop a new off-road vehicle was taken following a six-month feasibility study started by Ratcliffe, who is a big fan of the original Land Rover Defender. | |
| Ratcliffe said he saw a gap in the market for an “uncompromising off-roader that stood for adventure and active driving but also had the capability to be a work and utility machine”. | |
| Ineos intends to sell the vehicle globally with a target market identified as including agriculture and forestry workers, explorers and adventurers as well as traditional Defender fans that “simply enjoy an authentic 4x4 driving experience”. | |
| “I am a great admirer of the old Land Rover Defender and have enormous respect for its off-road capability,” said Ratcliffe. “Our new 4x4 has been inspired by it. But while our off-roader might share its spirit, our new car will be a major improvement on previous models.” | |
| Last January, the last Land Rover Defender rolled off the production line at Jaguar Land Rover’s Solihull plant in the West Midlands. | |
| The Defender, which first appeared in the aftermath of the second world war, was originally conceived as a no-frills, off-road vehicle marketed as a “go anywhere” option. The Defender name was introduced in 1990. | |
| More than 2m were built and its rugged design has ensured that an estimated two-thirds of Defenders and their predecessors are still on the road. | |
| After ceasing production of new Defenders, Jaguar Land Rover launched a heritage vehicle restoration line, repurposing old Defenders, at its Solihull plant. |