Riddara: Chinese electric ute brand confirmed for Australia

Australia is on Geely’s radar for its fledgling electric ute brand.

Radar Auto confirmed in April it would build its only product, the RD6, in right-hand drive, and export it under the Riddara nameplate.

But in the same month, the company also quietly confirmed Australia will be among the export markets for the brand.

“With a more competitive new product and service system, Radar Auto will accelerate its expansion into overseas markets, continuously expanding to markets in Asia-Pacific, Central Asia, Thailand, Middle East, Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Central and South America, and other countries and regions, and perfecting its global layout,” the company said in a press release.

The company hasn’t released any further information on launch timing, or which variants of the RD6 it will bring here.

Geely registered a trademark for the Riddara name in Australia in March 2023. It’s still registered and protected.

It cancelled its trademark application for the Radar name in Australia in November 2022 following opposition to its registration from Omni United, a Singapore-based tyre company that has a tyre sub-brand called Radar Tires.

The RD6 is the first vehicle from the electric “lifestyle vehicle” brand, established in 2022.

It rides a version of Geely’s Sustainable Experience Architecture (SEA) called the Multiplex Attached Platform, which features MacPherson strut front and multi-link independent rear suspension.

SEA underpins a raft of cars and SUVs, which contrasts the RD6 with electric utes like the LDV eT60 that use a traditional body-on-frame ute platform.

The RD6 is offered in either single-motor rear-wheel drive or recently revealed dual-motor all-wheel drive configurations, though only the former has been confirmed for export markets thus far.

Specifications for the RD6 are as follows:

For rear-wheel drive models, the brand claims a kerb weight of 2065-2090kg, as well as 220mm of ground clearance.

The RD6 is around the same size as the Nissan Navara, with a tub slightly smaller than those of the Toyota HiLux and Ford Ranger.

The RD6 is offered with vehicle-to-load (V2L) capability, with a maximum output of 15kW from the fast charging port, 6kW from the discharge panel in the tub, and 2.2kW from the panel in the 70L storage cavity under the bonnet.

Depending on the variant, there’s either a 12.3-inch or 14.6-inch touchscreen infotainment system, as well as a choice of 3.5-inch or 10.2-inch digital instrument clusters.

The company says the RD6 has Level 2+ autonomous driving capability, with available active safety technology including adaptive cruise control, autonomous emergency braking, blind-spot monitoring, lane-keep assist, rear cross-traffic assist, and traffic sign recognition.

Other available equipment includes matrix LED headlights, a panoramic sunroof, and power-adjustable, heated and ventilated front seats.

It’s unclear how the RD6 will be distributed in Australia, though Geely-owned brands like Volvo, Polestar and Lotus already operate here and Zeekr will be here before the end of the year.

Local trademark filings and job ads also indicate Geely could bring its namesake brand here.

While there’s a bevy of electric utes available in markets like the US, there’s just one here: the slow-selling LDV eT60. Just eight of these were sold here in the first half of 2024.

LDV plans to launch a new-generation electric ute in 2025, and fellow Chinese brand JAC has also indicated it wants to bring an electric ute here.