Uh oh, Ineos has paused production of the Grenadier

Ineos is having a bit of an issue with its supply chain. No, the global chip shortage hasn’t returned, but one of its suppliers has had a cash flow issue. Apparently said supplier makes a 'critical component' for the Grenadier and Grenadier Quartermaster. That’s knocked over a few metaphorical dominos, and as a result all Grenadier production is now on pause. Oh dear.

Ineos is keeping schtum about the name of the supplier and the 'critical component', but the setback might not be resolved until early in the new year. Oh dear, oh dear.

In a statement, Ineos said: “Our production at Hambach has encountered a critical component shortage beyond our control, causing a pause in our production schedule. Automotive supply chains are always complex and challenging, but this hits at such a busy time for us.  

“We have strong momentum and are on track to reach over 20,000 cars before the end of this year and we really want to produce vehicles for our customers, so this pause is extremely frustrating.
 
“We are leaving no stone unturned in our efforts to get our manufacturing back up and running, to catch up with demand as swiftly as we can. At the moment, we are operating a conservative scenario which would see us get back to full production rates in early 2025.”

The company has had a bit of a rough summer. Despite launching brand-new operations in Mexico and China, it shelved plans for the fully electric Fusilier mere months after it launched. CEO Sir Jim Ratcliffe put the decision down to weak market demand for EVs. Perhaps Elon will have some sage advice about keeping customers waiting...