British hybrid vehicle maker lands early export orders
British vehicle maker Fering has landed its first export orders for the Pioneer, a hybrid off-road vehicle, selling prototype units to Canada and an undisclosed country in the Middle East for testing, Calibre Defence editor Sam Cranny-Evans reported after interviewing company CEO Gren Paull.
Paull said Canada holds potential for much larger follow-on orders beyond the initial prototype sale. Some buyers are now testing multiple competing vehicles side by side before choosing one, a pattern Cranny-Evans says has also shown up in other protected vehicle programs; Ineos has said Germany’s GSG 9 counterterrorism police drove its Grenadier 4×4 more than 10,000 km before placing an order. Fering being included in that kind of comparison, Paull said, is a sign the company is increasingly seen as a serious contender rather than a novelty.
Fering used this month’s Defence Vehicle Dynamics show to unveil a new version of the vehicle, a 6×6 called the Pioneer X. The extra axle adds 250 kg (550 pounds) to the vehicle’s weight in exchange for another tonne (2,200 pounds) of payload, Paull told. That brings the vehicle’s total weight to 2.3 tonnes (5,070 pounds) and its payload capacity to 2 tonnes (4,400 pounds). Paull said the 6×6 keeps the same mobility and off-board power output as the 4×4, though its range may drop because of the extra weight; the company is working on a different power system to offset that loss.
The original 4×4 Pioneer X, unveiled at a separate show in January 2025, is built around a carbon fiber center spine with mostly aluminum components, giving it a curb weight of 1,650 kg (3,640 pounds). It runs on a hybrid system combining a multi-fuel or hydrogen generator with a battery pack, which Fering says gives the vehicle a range of up to 7,000 km (4,350 miles) and roughly 80 km (50 miles) of silent electric-only driving. The generator can also export up to 60 kilowatts of power to run outside equipment, such as a forward outpost, without a separate generator.
Fering is also pitching the Pioneer X for the British Army’s Light Mobility Vehicle program, a competition to replace older light trucks that has drawn entries from several manufacturers, including armored 4×4 conversions from Ineos and General Motors Defense. Paull told Calibre Defence a contract under that program would be welcome, though he gave no timeline for a decision.
Fering credited a UK machine shop, Chasestead, with producing many of the metal components in its prototype vehicles. Chasestead is also certified to work with MBDA, Rolls-Royce and Lockheed Martin, Cranny-Evans reported.
The company said it is now in a design-for-manufacture phase and is looking at an early-stage plan for a new production facility.
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Fering secured its first export orders for the Pioneer hybrid off-road vehicle from Canada and an undisclosed Middle Eastern country. The company unveiled the Pioneer X at a recent show, which maintains the same mobility as the original but with increased payload capacity. Fering is also competing for a contract with the British Army's Light Mobility Vehicle program and is planning a new production facility.
- Fering has received export orders for its Pioneer vehicle from Canada and an undisclosed Middle Eastern country.
- The Pioneer X, a new version of the vehicle, was unveiled at a recent show.
- The vehicle features a hybrid system with a range of up to 7,000 km and can export power to external equipment.
- Fering is competing for a contract under the British Army's Light Mobility Vehicle program.
- The company is in the design-for-manufacture phase and plans for a new production facility.