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STARTING a car company from scratch is a rare opportunity – something few in the automotive industry ever get the chance to do in their careers. So it was no surprise that the guys behind Ineos Automotive were as excited to show me the new Grenadier as I was to see it – and you can read the full story over the page. For the record, I think it’s a great piece of industrial design. Pretty? No. Familiar? Very. I’ve done extremely well to make it to just the third paragraph here without mentioning the original Land Rover Defender, because that’s the car that has clearly inspired the Grenadier more than any other. And it’s the car that its design will be most compared to. Is that a bad thing?…

Steve_Fowler@dennis.co.uk @stevefowler THIS is the Ineos Grenadier – an all-new car from an all-new company, but one with a distinctly familiar look. Just three years ago, in 2017, Ineos Chairman and car fan Sir Jim Radcliffe decided to do something other car makers seemed to be shying away from: produce a vehicle with off-road ability at its heart, a utilitarian car where form followed function. This is the result, the first model from Ineos Automotive, and a car that takes its name from the pub where the idea was first formed. Auto Express was invited to Ineos HQ to take a look at the Grenadier and meet some of the team behind it. At the helm of the new company is Dirk Heilmann, an Ineos employee for 20 years but,…

“The 90 and 110 versions of the Hard Top should match the Grenadier’s impressive 3,500kg towing capacity” Steve_Fowler@dennis.co.uk @stevefowler IN a curious coincidence, Land Rover has this week released more details of the commercial version of the new Defender, which looks set to undercut the Ineos Grenadier on price. The new Defender Hard Top will go on sale later this year, with indicative pricing for the short-wheelbase three-door 90 version starting at £35,500 plus VAT – at least £5,000 less than the cheapest Ineos Grenadier is expected to cost. The longer 110 version is likely to cost just over £40,000 plus VAT, still potentially undercutting the Grenadier. Both Hard Tops should match the Grenadier’s impressive 3,500kg towing capacity. The Hard Top name dates back to the fifties, when removable hard…

Luke Wilkinson Luke_Wilkinson@dennis.co.uk @LT_Wilkinson VOLKSWAGEN has launched a facelifted version of the Tiguan SUV, with a raft of design and technology updates as well as a new plug-in hybrid powertrain and a 316bhp R-badged variant. The cosmetic revisions over the outgoing Tiguan are fairly extensive, as Volkswagen brings the SUV’s styling in line with that of the new Mk8 Golf. As such, the updated Tiguan features the same winged LED headlights, radiator grille and broad bumper intakes as the hatchback, along with a new bonnet, revised LED tail-lights and a tweaked rear diffuser. Inside, there’s a new sports steering wheel with touch-sensitive controls and new capacitive buttons for the air-conditioning and ventilation systems. In addition, Tiguan buyers can specify a configurable ambient lighting system and a 10-speaker Harman Kardon surroundsound…

503bhp in Competition trim We’ve driven the prototypes FAMILIAR and immediately grininducing: that’s exactly how the first few corners in the new BMW M3 feel, and that’s precisely what we’ve come to expect over five generations of this performance saloon icon. This is despite the prototype we’re driving – alongside a similarly near-finished M4 – being only 90 per cent complete, according to BMW M Development Manager Dirk Häcker. It’s powered by a 3.0-litre, turbocharged straight six. This is the S58 motor used in the X3 M and X4 M SUVs, but its proper home is in the M3, developing 473bhp – or 503bhp in the flagship M3 Competition (expected to be the only version sold in the UK). A six-speed manual gearbox is standard, while Competition variants are equipped…

THE six-month MoT extension should be brought to an immediate end following the latest relaxation of lockdown rules, according to a leading industry body. When the UK was put into lockdown, the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) announced that cars with an MoT due on or after 30 March 2020 would have their certificates automatically extended by six months. Now, the Independent Garage Association (IGA) says the extension scheme should come to an end, both to help ensure cars are in roadworthy condition, and to stimulate the UK’s garage industry. “We’ve supported the Government’s Covid measures, but it is not safe for cars to remain unchecked” IGA chief executive Stuart James made clear his organisation had “supported the Government’s measures all the way through this pandemic”, but warned: “it…