Canadian company Magna will manufacture an electric SUV for Ineos Automotive. Production will kick off in Graz, Austria, in 2026. In addition to building it, Magna will also be responsible for developing the complete vehicle.

Magna says Ineos Automotive is a new customer in engineering and complete vehicle manufacturing. The two companies already cooperated on the first vehicle, an internal combustion engine off-roader called Grenadier, in 2018. At that time, however, it was purely a matter of vehicle development services. Ineos took over the former Daimler plant in Hambach to produce the Grenadier at the end of 2020, where the off-road vehicle has been built since 2022.

Ineos is originally a chemical company based in the UK. Its automotive subsidiary was founded in 2016. Magna will now take over manufacturing for the company’s first BEV-powered SUV like it did with already many other companies. In its Graz plant, it will also build the Fisker Ocean, for example.

“Having worked together on the engineering of our crucial first product, we’ve seen first-hand the value of applying Magna’s agility, expertise, and experience to a complete vehicle development program,” says Lynn Calder, CEO of Ineos Automotive.

Starting in 2026

“Deepening our collaboration is a natural next step as we use the Grenadier as a springboard for our continued growth as a global automotive brand with our second model line,” he adds. “We’ll once again work with the very best partners to launch another world-class product to our customers in 2026.”

The partners are not naming any key points about the electric off-roader, so it remains open whether it will be a spin-off or an entirely new electric vehicle.

“This new electric vehicle adds nicely to our line-up in Austria and showcases our flexibility in producing a range of vehicles from ICE-based to fully electric,” says Roland Prettner, Interim President of Magna Complete Vehicles. “As a leading global contract manufacturer with a strong infrastructure and a highly qualified workforce, Magna is ideally positioned to support automakers like Ineos Automotive in turning their mobility vision into reality.”

Hydrogen project in the fridge

Initially, the Grenadier was to have a hydrogen offshoot, and in 2020, Ineos announced cooperation with Hyundai on fuel cells. According to the German car magazine Auto, Motor & Sport, a test vehicle has been completed. However, in view of the hardly existing fuelling infrastructure, the project will be deprioritized in favor of the BEV model.