The Ineos Fusilier Could Be Happening In 2028

The tale of the Ineos Fusilier has been a tumultuous one. Unveiled earlier this year as a smaller counterpart to the rough-and-ready Grenadier, it was originally announced with a 2027 launch targeted. It was set to arrive with both full electric and range-extender hybrid powertrains.

Then, earlier this month, the company – run by petrochemical magnate and part owner of Manchester United Sir Jim Ratcliffe – announced that the car would be slapped with an ‘indefinite delay’, citing uncertainty around demand for electric cars, as well as legislation surrounding them.

Now, speaking to Auto Express, the company has hinted that ‘indefinite’ may only mean a year or so. The comments came from Ineos Automotive CEO Lynne Calder, who said: “It was two reasons, and the first was just policy. I think this year in particular, with so many elections going on in so many different countries, it's really quite difficult to work out what's going to happen.”

This most likely refers to government policies for the outlawing of internal combustion cars. The UK’s new Labour government, for instance, has pledged to bring this back to its original 2030 cut-off, after the previous government delayed it until 2035. The European Union, meanwhile, is still targeting 2035.

“The other reason was, partly because of policy clarity and partly the lack of infrastructure, consumer confidence in EVs has taken a nosedive in a lot of our main markets and a lot of people need to be persuaded that it's the right car for them,” Calder continued.

However, she said that “I don’t think we’re going to be paused for very long,” and that the Fusilier could now arrive in 2028, around a year after the originally proposed May 2027 launch. The range-extender is planned to arrive before the full EV.

This news is likely to be welcomed by the Magna-Steyr plant in Austria where the Fusilier is planned to be built. Not only has it just laid off around 500 staff in the wake of the halt of Fisker Ocean production, it’s also contending with Jaguar’s decision to drop the I-Pace and E-Pace, which are also made by the popular contract manufacturer.