Team Ineos has applied to the UCI to change its team name and colors this season, and the British WorldTour team will be known as "Ineos Grenadiers" from the start of the Tour de France on August 29, and Ineos Automotive has recently launched a new 4x4 SUV The team confirmed that they will be promoting the vehicle.

The Tuttobiciweb (opens in new tab) and Spaziociclismo (opens in new tab) websites revealed details of the change on Wednesday morning, and Australia's Ride Media (opens in new tab) reported that Tour de France organizer ASO distributed and and released images of mock-ups of the new jerseys that other media outlets had apparently also seen.

The Ineos Grenadiers will change from their current black and burgundy colors to a dark blue base, with the Grenadier name and red A logo on the jersey.

Team Ineos initially refused to comment on the change when contacted by Cycling News, but later confirmed that the team's new name and branding would be officially announced in the weeks leading up to the Tour de France in Nice.

The team said: "With this change, the team will work with Grenadier, a no nonsense 4x4 vehicle designed, designed, and manufactured by INEOS Automotive."

The team also said that the team will be known as "Grenadier" and "Grenadier" will be the name of the team.

The team will return to racing as Team INEOS next week at the Vuelta a Burgos in Spain, while Egan Bernal and Chris Froome will race together at La Route d'Occitanie in France in early August. Geraint Thomas will return in the Tour de l'Ain.

UCI regulations allow for a change of name and colors once per season. Team Ineos previously changed its kit when it was Team Sky; at the 2018 Tour de France, it wore a special design with a whale on its back to support Sky's Ocean Rescue campaign, and changed sponsors midway through the 2019 season When the team changed sponsors midway through the 2019 season, it changed its name to Ineos.

Other teams have changed their names to promote their sponsor's products in different markets or race in overwhelmingly white kits during the summer months.

Castelli, Ineos' kit supplier, makes new blue racewear with the Grenadier logo on the chest, back, and sides. The Ineos name will remain on the shoulders and collar of the jersey.

Bike sponsor Pinarello recently unveiled its new 2021 model, the Pinarello F12, in a gray/black design that closely resembles Grenadier's colors.

Bernal, Thomas, and four-time winner Chris Froome will join the Team Ineos lineup for the Tour de France in September, but their leadership roles have yet to be determined. Team Ineos has decided not to offer Froome a new contract beyond 2020, and he has agreed to join the Israeli Startup Nation in 2021 as the sole Tour leader.

Ineos, run and largely owned by British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe, is primarily a petrochemical company, but has entered the automotive market with "Grenadier," described as a "lean, utilitarian 4x4." The project began in 2018, with 200 engineers contracted to design and develop the vehicle, and manufacturing began in South Wales late last year.

According to Autocar, the vehicle is expected to hit the market in 2021 at a price of £40,000. The name Grenadier is taken from the London pub where Ratcliffe first conceived the idea of building the car.