The British marque – whose Grenadier four-wheel drive range is now available for order – will partner with Bosch service centres in Australia, and Armstrong’s dealership network in New Zealand, to offer coverage in metropolitan and regional centres across both countries.

Bosch has already confirmed that 120 service outlets will be available to the brand. Provision is also being made for DIY service by the likes of farmers and off-road enthusiasts. 

INEOS has promised to match its physical presence with what it says is a “powerful digital service to give customers the buying experience they want and the aftersales support they need”, challenging rivals with established footholds in remote areas, including the likes of Toyota.

Justin Hocevar

A service-first attitude and commitment to regional and enthusiast customers will form the headline for INEOS Automotive’s selection of retail partners, it says, adding that the company has worked behind the scenes for three years to develop a first-class global aftersales blueprint.

It has also vowed to attend remote agricultural field days, wanting to make its presence known among outback Australian clientele. 

Head of sales and marketing APAC at INEOS Automotive Justin Hocevar told a media event that the company’s sales and service model has been built from the bottom up. 

“Before we envisaged how we would sell our vehicles, we wanted to know how we would be able to support them with the parts and information people need to keep their vehicle on the road,” Mr Hocevar said.

“Around 30 per cent of our agents are not traditional automotive dealers. We’re really looking at those types of business partners that have got a close relationship with their customers and ideally have already got a four-wheel-drive-oriented business.

“There’s been a lot of surveying and engagement with potential customers to distil down what it is they want from our retail strategy, and from the sales and customer service experience.”

Mr Hocevar said the brand’s clean-sheet approach to not only vehicle development but the development of a new sales and servicing experience gave it the scope to analyse what it was customers valued from the transaction with the dealership, and to tailor its model to specifically suit Grenadier buyers.

“What we learnt from that is that a direct distribution model with online and face-to-face sales and support is essential to the success of Grenadier in Australia and New Zealand and we are working closely with our agency partners to ensure a ‘customer service before sales’ approach.

“We’ll have bricks and mortar showrooms that will be commensurate with the brand. They won’t be Gin Palaces, just comfortable and purposeful facilities where the Grenadier is the hero and where the showroom is located within reasonable proximity to the Grenadier’s customer base,” Mr Hocevar added.

INEOS Grenadier Retail Concept

In Australia, INEOS says it will launch with 16 retail outlets. It already has agreements with Purnell (Sydney), John Oxley Motors (Port Macquarie), and Frasers (Newcastle) in New South Wales. 

Victorian outlets include Brighton Automotive Holdings (Astoria, Melbourne), Rex Gorell (Geelong), and Aaron Brian Motors (Shepparton), with Queensland’s network including SLRV Expedition (Gold Coast) and Carvana (Brisbane). Tasmania has just one dealership signed to INEOS Automotive at the current time, Bucky Motors in Launceston.

“By year three, 98 per cent of the Australian population will be in reasonable proximity to a sales and service outlet,” Mr Hocevar said.

For New Zealand, INEOS Automotive is represented by the Armstrong’s group with locations in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, and Dunedin.

Mr Hocevar said Grenadier Australia has already signed a letter of nomination with 10 dealers in 13 locations across Australia and New Zealand, the latter through the Armstrong’s dealer network.

The brand aims to have 26 sale locations operating in Australia by the time the model is launched, including four in New Zealand. 

By the time the dual-cab ute arrives in 2023 that number will grow to 34 in Australia and stay at four in NZ . Adding Bosch Car Service centres to the mix will give the brand more than 200 locations across Australia and New Zealand.

“We aim to have at least one metropolitan location per state with the remainder of our facilities in regional areas,” Mr Hocevar said. 

“Some of these facilities will be service-only centres with the remainder of our servicing requirements being handled by the 120-strong Bosch service network across the country [Australia]. We’ll also provide thorough 3D online manuals so that customers can service their own vehicles. We want to be as open and accessible as we can.”

Prototype

Mr Hocevar said ‘hand-picked’ Bosch Car Service sites across Australia will help the brand to support its recently announced five-year warranty and service plan. 

Globally, Grenadier owners will have access to 10,000 Bosch Car Service outlets in 150 countries, the brand promising to provide extended individualised technical support to enthusiasts, modifiers, and to those who wish to work on their own vehicles.

The brand also says it is targeting 24-hour delivery of parts into major markets where parts are not immediately available.

“We’re not going to ring-fence our accessory portfolio,” said Mr Hocevar.

“We’ll have a complete range of OE accessories, but on top, we recognise that customers are loyal to off-road accessory brands including Iron Man, ARB, etcetera. 

“For that reason, we’ve been working with reputable aftermarket accessories providers not just in Australia and New Zealand, but also across Europe, South Africa, and the United States, to make sure Grenadier customers can personalise their vehicle to their own requirements and tastes.”

Mr Hocevar said INEOS Automotive was aware of the importance of market-specific accessories, and that it had reached out to providers in several countries to ensure their off-road options and accessories would be ready for sale when the Grenadier launches to key markets, including Australia and New Zealand, in the fourth quarter of 2022.

“We’ve provided CAD information to a number of reputable aftermarket accessory manufacturers already and are working with them to provide a prototype model as soon as possible to help develop their range [of options and accessories].

“We’ve conducted our own crash testing of the Grenadier to a very high standard for this category of vehicle, and in working closely with aftermarket suppliers, we can expect that standard to be maintained when customers option the accessories they choose. 

“So, it’s important we work with these businesses ahead of time,” Mr Hocevar said.

INEOS Automotive Australia says it plans to make the purchasing process of its Grenadier as convenient and painless as possible, and that the buying process – or any part of it – can be completed online or face-to-face at its growing dealer network. 

Fixed pricing and simplified part-exchange and financing arrangements join extended on and off-road test drives as part of its customer-focussed retail strategy.

Online reservations for the Grenadier opened on September 30 with “early hand-raisers and prospective customers who expressed a strong interest” in the vehicle given first preference. INEOS Automotive says it plans to sell 1,000 units locally within the first 12 months on sale.

Australia and New Zealand are among the first countries to receive shipments of the Grenadier, which will be in dealerships by July 2022.

The Grenadier five-door wagon (petrol/diesel) is prices from AUD$84,500 / NZD$93,500  excluding on-road costs. Full model range pricing and specification will be announced closer to the model’s launch.

By Matt Brogan