Ratcliffe continued: “BEVs are perfect for certain uses – shorter trips and urban deliveries – but industry and governments need to have realistic expectations around other technologies that can help accelerate the necessary pace of change. That is the reason we are offering an additional powertrain for the Fusilier, one that dramatically reduces emissions but has the range and refuelling capabilities needed.”
The decision to add a REx option was only made in the past few weeks and has prompted Ineos to push back the Fusilier’s planned launch date from 2026 to early 2027.
The Fusilier will also be engineered and developed by Magna. Notably, part of the development programme will involve durability testing on the infamously challenging Shöckl Pass – a proving ground for every iteration and variant of the venerable G-Class so far and now Ratcliffe’s own benchmark.
Ratcliffe has previously laid bare the importance of the Fusilier’s off-road credentials, telling Autocar: “Because it’s electric, it will inevitably carry a bit of a weight penalty, but my expectation is that it will still have the range and capability of the Grenadier. We aren’t going to compromise.”
The EV and REx cars will look identical. The Fusilier’s visual relationship with the Grenadier is plain to see, but unlike the Quartermaster, it’s a standalone model line. As such, it’s fundamentally different underneath, as well as smaller in all dimensions than its full-sized, 4.7m-long sibling.
