2 days ago
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The Land Rover Defender look-a-like backed by a UK billionaire has drawn on a technicality to avoid fitting critical safety features in Australia, which its maker says its customers aren't asking for.
The Land Rover Defender-inspired Ineos Grenadier will avoid new mandates for crash-avoidance tech in Australia because its maker claims buyers do not want the potentially life-saving systems.
Ineos has been granted an exemption from new Australian regulations mandating the fitment of autonomous emergency braking (AEB) – which slams the brakes if it detects an imminent rear-end crash – on the grounds of being an "off-road vehicle".
AEB technology – which is standard on a $19,000 Kia Picanto hatchback – is fitted to Grenadier 4WDs in overseas markets, including many where it is mandatory.
But Ineos called on a technicality in the Australian rules to avoid fitting the technology locally as it claims most customers do not want it.
"The Ineos Grenadier range will not be affected by the upcoming ADR 97/00 regulations. Exemptions are available based on specific vehicle classification and this includes the Australian-homologated Ineos Grenadier," Ineos Automotive said in a written statement to Drive.
"Ineos Automotive built the Grenadier to be analogue," it added in a further statement, "nevertheless, we recognised the trend of ADAS [advanced driver assistance] systems across global markets and introduced (MY24) GSR1 equipment as mandated in global markets and will continue to develop these features in future, as necessary."
"In Australia at present, this category of vehicle does not have a high demand for this technology.
"We continue to carefully review our active customer feedback alongside all government requirements to ensure we provide the most compelling and compliant vehicle."
The Grenadier is classified in Australia as a light truck – officially a 'medium goods vehicle', or NB1 class – for which AEB become mandatory on examples complied for road use from February 1, 2025, under regulations known as ADR 97/00.
However, the British brand has avoided complying with the applicable regulation under an exemption for vehicles "designed for off-road use".
The rules state it covers NB-class vehicles where "all their wheels are designed to be driven simultaneously," and for vehicles with more than two axles, that can run with a front and a rear axle engaged, have a differential lock, and can climb a 25 per cent gradient.
Other off-roaders meet this criteria – such as the Toyota LandCruiser 70 Series, also classified as a medium goods vehicle – but it is equipped with autonomous emergency braking.
The Ineos Grenadier has never been required to meet this regulation, due to its truck classification.
Ineos Australia says it is "open to the possibility of adding it to our local program in future" of adding AEB technology to the Grenadier, but "this will be led by market demand."
“When [autonomous emergency braking] is added to the portfolio, we would add it to the Australian market,” Hocevar said.
"Some [advanced driver assistance systems] we may consider as options, because we are finding some people in this category are saying ‘keep it simple for me please’. If others want it, it’s there."
AEB is not even available as an option on the Grenadier in Australia, nor any other advanced safety features such as lane-keep assist or blind-spot monitoring.
While not every customer likes lane-keep assist and other safety systems – and these features in many cars can be intrusive and overzealous – AEB has been proven to reduce crashes and injuries.
Data reported by the ANCAP safety organisation indicates the technology has been shown to reduce police-reported clashes by 55 per cent, rear-end crashes by 40 per cent and occupant trauma by 28 per cent.
It is standard in the most affordable new car in production for Australia, the Kia Picanto at $18,290 plus on-road costs.
Grenadier prices start from $102,000 before on-road costs, and stretch up to $123,600 plus on-roads.
In Europe – where many advanced safety systems are mandatory – Ineos sells the Grenadier as standard with AEB, lane departure warning, driver drowsiness detection, and traffic sign recognition (Intelligent Speed Assist).
"We built the Grenadier to be an analogue but safe vehicle, and it meets all statutory and legal requirements using the necessary safety technologies to be sold in all markets," Ineos Automotive said.
"As well as being built on a solid and durable ladder frame chassis, all models come fitted as standard with a wide range of safety equipment including anti-lock brakes (ABS), electronic traction control (ETC), electronic stability assist (ESA), Downhill Assist, Trailer Stability Assist, and six airbags."
Drive has previously reported the Ineos Grenadier uses about 35 'computers' throughout the vehicle to power its systems, compared to between 75 and 100 for a typical modern vehicle of a similar size, and up to 200 in a luxury electric car.
It is not the first time Ineos has secured an exemption from an unfavourable Australian law.
In July 2022, the Australian Tax Office ruled the Grenadier is exempt from Luxury Car Tax as, in Ineos' words "due to [its] design, engineering and capability, it is not considered a luxury car for tax purposes."
Alex Misoyannis has been writing about cars since 2017, when he started his own website, Redline. He contributed for Drive in 2018, before joining CarAdvice in 2019, becoming a regular contributing journalist within the news team in 2020. Cars have played a central role throughout Alex’s life, from flicking through car magazines at a young age, to growing up around performance vehicles in a car-loving family. Highly Commended - Young Writer of the Year 2024 (Under 30) Rising Star Journalist, 2024 Winner Scoop of The Year - 2024 Winner
