Ineos suspends all production over dispute with unnamed supplier

Ineos has been forced to suspend Grenadiers and Munitions production at its plant in Hambach, France, due to problems with a key supplier. While it has not yet been confirmed when production will resume, the plant is expected to remain idle for several months.

The official line from the British automaker was that the supplier of the “trim” had run into financial difficulties, and without the part, neither the Grenadier nor the Quartermaster could be sold.

Read: Mansory gets Ineos Grenadier tuner

“The supplier is in a pre-bankruptcy state,” Ineos Automotive CEO Lynn Carter told Auto News. “It’s a cosmetic part, but without it, we can’t sell the car. I know (the supplier) is working hard to turn around the business, and I want to give them every opportunity to do that.”

While Ineos has not yet revealed the name of the supplier, some believe it is Recaro. The world-renowned seat supplier filed for bankruptcy at the end of July and is known to supply seats to Ineos. Carter noted that the brand is looking for a second-tier supplier for unspecified parts, adding that Ineos is “doing everything possible to resume production as quickly as possible.”

“At this point, we are taking a conservative approach and expect to return to full capacity by early 2025. In the meantime, we would like to thank our customers, especially those awaiting Grenadiers, for their patience as we work towards resuming operations,” Ineos added in a statement.

Ineos Automotive was founded in 2016 by Sir Jim Radcliffe, chairman of chemicals giant Ineos, who wanted to build a modern Land Rover Defender. Its cars are now sold in more than 45 countries around the world, with launches in Mexico and China this month. The company is expected to deliver its 20,000th car in the coming months.