Ineos Automotive has confirmed it will abandon the ‘agency’ sales model under which it has sold its Grenadier off-road vehicle range in Australia since opening its local order book when the brand was launched here in May 2022.
As first reported by TheAutoExec.com, Ineos Automotive Australia will move to “a classic retail-dealer network” from January 1, 2026, marking what the automaker’s Asia-Pacific region chief Justin Hocevar told CarExpert will be “a deliberate evolution of our business structure”.
New dealers will be appointed by the brand, while “many” of the brand’s existing 28 sales agents will switch to the more traditional retail strategy as part of the change.
Mr Hocevar hasn’t indicated what impact the move will have on pricing across the brand’s model range. Ineos Automotive Australia is currently offering discounts of nearly $20,000 for its Grenadier Quartermaster ute.
“It’s business as usual for our customers,” Mr Hocevar told CarExpert.
“Sales, servicing and support continue as normal, and there’s no change to how people engage with the brand.
“The transition is about strengthening our long-term presence in Australia, not disrupting the experience our customers already know and trust.”
The agency sales model – employed by auto brands including Tesla, Mercedes-Benz and Honda – has been a source of contention in recent years, with both Mercedes-Benz and Honda finding themselves in court battles with dealers after introducing the strategy.
Under an agency sales model, an auto brand rather than its ‘agents’ own new-vehicle stock and in some cases offers fixed nationwide drive-away prices, removing the ability for car dealers to discount transaction prices as they do under the traditional retail model.
Mr Hocevar insisted the agency model was the right strategy with which to launch the Ineos brand in Australia, but said the brand’s ongoing growth demanded a step away from it.
“As the business and market evolved, some limitations [of the agency model] became clear – longer lead times, cash-flow pressures, and limited dealer incentives,” he said.
The company said the change will give Australian buyers better access and stronger local support “through trusted retailers, including in regional areas. Dealers will have real ownership under the new model, leading to faster responses and better aftersales care”.
The regional Ineos Automotive boss said the change is not due to poor sales results, and stated he is happy with the brand’s Australian sales performance so far.
While the company doesn’t report its sales data to Australian auto industry statistician VFACTS, Mr Hocevar said earlier this year around 100 Grenadiers per month were being sold, equating to about 1200 annually.
The Ineos lineup kicked off with the Grenadier wagon, a ‘reimagined’ off-roader in the spirit of the original 1948 Land Rover Defender but employing BMW engines and ZF transmissions.
A dual-cab pickup called the Grenadier Quartermaster was added to the range in 2023, followed by cab/chassis versions in 2024.
MORE: Explore the Ineos Grenadier showroom