Ineos Automotive closed the year with several changes to its top management team. The company has announced that it will appoint a new CEO and new COO as the automaker transitions from engineering project to commercial business.
Ineos Automotive, part of the Ineos Group, was formed in 2017 to design and build a utilitarian off-road vehicle that would become the Grenadier. The SUV finally entered production in October after facing supply chain issues that affected the entire auto industry. With Grenadier now rolling off the assembly line, Ineos Automotive will have new management to lead the way.
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Lynn Calder will become the new CEO, assuming the role effective immediately. Hans-Peter Pessler will be the company’s new COO, previously serving as a senior executive at Austria’s Magna Steyr. Phillippe Steyer will remain as company president.
Calder joins Ineos Automotive after spending six years in various positions within the Ineos Group, including various CEO roles. He has prior experience in private equity. Calder said that “it’s an exciting time” to take the reins of Ineos, commending the team for all the hard work while noting that “we are still only at the beginning of creating a global business.”
The Grenadier could be coming to the US, featuring a BMW-sourced twin-turbocharged inline-six B58 engine. It produces 281 horsepower (210 kilowatts) and 332 pound-feet (450 Newton-meters) of torque. The diesel version won’t arrive in the US, but will be available in Europe and produces 245 hp (193 kW) and 406 lb-ft (550 Nm) of torque. The order book is open for the SUV.
It’s unclear what the future holds for Ineos now that the Grenadier is in production, but we have an idea. The automaker is developing a fuel cell electric vehicle version of the SUV, and testing should start in late 2022. Hydrogen continues to attract interest from automakers, big and small, even as they push development of new battery-electrics. vehicle for the masses.
