Geely’s recently launched Radar Auto brand has commenced customer deliveries of its RD6 electric ute in China as it prepares to begin exports later in the year.
The first owners of the Radar RD6 were presented with their cars as part of an event in Shenzhen. The company plans to do more of these in different Chinese cities.
At this stage it’s unclear which markets Geely plans to export the Radar RD6 to. We’ve previously reported Volvo Australia could team up with Geely to distribute the RD6 locally.
Geely claims the Radar RD6 is the “first mass-market full electric truck” produced in China – though this doesn’t take into account electric utes like the LDV eT60 and the Nissan Navara-based Dongfeng Rich 6.
All Radar RD6 models are currently powered by a single, rear-mounted electric motor producing 200kW of power. The 0-100km/h sprint time is a claimed 6.9 seconds.
At this stage there’s no dual-motor all-wheel drive variant of the RD6 on sale.
In China, the RD6 is available with three different battery options: 63kWh, 86kWh and 100kWh. Radar claims these have electric ranges of 400km, 550km, and 632km, respectively, according to an undisclosed testing cycle.
It can be DC fast-charged at speeds of up to 120kW, and AC charged at speeds of up to 11kW. The ute also has 6kW vehicle-to-load (V2L) with 220V outlets in the tub for powering external devices, as well as vehicle-to-vehicle charging abilities.
The RD6 is underpinned by Geely’s new Sustainable Experience Architecture (SEA), which also underpins models like the Zeekr X and 001, as well as the Smart #1.
It has McPherson strut suspension up front, and a multi-link set-up at the rear.
The tub on the RD6 measures in at 1525mm long, 1450mm wide, and 540mm tall, with a volume of 1200 litres. This is slightly smaller than the likes of the top-selling Ford Ranger and Toyota HiLux.
There’s also a 70-litre front boot in the Radar RD6, as well as a 48-litre storage space under the second row of seats.
In terms of design, the RD6 has matrix LED headlights, tail lights with an ‘X’ signature, and a 55-inch panoramic sunroof. It also has a claimed drag co-efficient of 0.32.
Inside, the RD6 has a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system, 9.0-inch head-up display, and 72-colour interior ambient lighting.
On the safety front the Radar RD6 has six airbags, autonomous emergency braking (AEB), forward collision warning, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, lane-keep assist, lane departure warning, lane-change assist, active steering assist, adaptive cruise control, and traffic sign recognition.
“We are pleased to deliver the first Radar RD6 trucks to their users,” said Radar Auto CEO Dr. Ling Shi Quan.
“So far the interest in the Radar brand and electric pick-up trucks has been immense.”
“We hope to continue on this trajectory as we explore new markets both in China and the rest of the world,” he added.
The company says Radar is “China’s first pure electric outdoors lifestyle vehicle brand” and is “starting with trucks but is much more than just trucks”.
It says it’s an independent brand within the wider Geely Holding Group, and boasts its own R&D facility in Hangzhou.
Geely says it’ll have “considerable access” to electric vehicle technology from throughout the wider group, which also includes brands like Lotus, Polestar and Volvo.
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MORE: How Geely’s electric Radar ute brand could come to Australia
MORE: Geely’s Radar RD6 electric ute revealed
