LONDON -- Production of Ineos' first vehicle, the Grenadier SUV, will be pushed back to July 2022 to make sure rigorous testing targets are met following delays last year, the company said Wednesday.

Billionaire Jim Ratcliffe's U.K. petrochemical company announced in December it would manufacture the off-roader in Hambach , France, starting in late 2021 after a deal to take over a site run by Daimler, abandoning plans to build a factory in Wales.

On Wednesday, Ineos said more than 130 second-phase prototypes will be tested in extreme environments around the world. The Grenadier is seen as a potential rival to the Land Rover Defender .

"We only have one opportunity to get this right and our quality and performance targets for the Grenadier remain paramount," Ineos Automotive CEO Dirk Heilmann said. "We will not cut corners."