Radar King Kong PHEV is part of Geely’s growing electric pickup strategy. Credit: Radar Understand China EV’s Market Real-time notifications when critical EV data is released All important data in one place 2,000,000+ data points Become a member Geely Auto announced plans to acquire the remaining equity of Radar Auto’s core operating entities for approximately 218 million yuan (32 million USD), according to a Hong Kong Stock Exchange filing, Y-Auto reports. The deal includes Radar Auto (Shandong) Co., Radar Auto Sales Co., and Radar Thailand, making the electric pickup brand a wholly owned subsidiary of Geely Auto. Radar Auto was established in 2021 as Geely Holding Group’s dedicated new energy pickup brand. Overseas, the brand uses the Riddara name in several markets. The company focuses on passenger-oriented electric pickups targeting outdoor travel, camping, utility transport, and commercial applications. Pickup business integration Following the acquisition, Radar Auto will be integrated into Geely’s broader pickup business operations under the China Star product planning structure, according to the filing. The move consolidates Geely’s electric pickup assets as Chinese automakers expand into the new energy pickup segment. Radar’s operations include production at Geely’s Zibo intelligent manufacturing plant in Shandong province. The company has also expanded overseas distribution efforts in Southeast Asia, Latin America, the Middle East, and Africa. Geely has increasingly positioned plug-in hybrid pickups as part of its overseas strategy. Earlier this year, the company launched new Riddara plug-in hybrid pickups aimed at mountainous and cold-climate regions with a claimed combined range of 1,068 km under CLTC conditions. Another RD6 EM-P variant was introduced for overseas markets using Geely’s Thor plug-in hybrid system. Product expansion Radar’s current lineup includes the RD6 electric pickup and the newer Radar King Kong EV series. According to China EV DataTracker, the King Kong EV delivers up to 280 kW and 485 Nm, with an 86 kWh ternary NMC battery pack and up to 520 km CLTC range. Pricing ranges from 119,800 yuan to 159,800 yuan (17,610 USD to 23,485 USD). Globally, the pickup truck market continued shifting toward electrified and larger vehicle formats in 2025 and 2026. In the United States, light trucks, including pickups, SUVs, and crossovers, accounted for 83.1% of total light vehicle sales in 2025, while total U.S. light vehicle sales reached 16.2 million units, up 2.4% year-on-year. Chinese automakers have meanwhile expanded rapidly in the new-energy truck sector and in overseas export markets. Industry data showed Chinese manufacturers held a dominant share of global heavy-duty zero-emission truck production and supplied a large portion of global truck battery capacity. Brands including Geely’s Riddara and Great Wall Motor have focused their expansion efforts on Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Latin America, and other developing markets, where lower-cost electric pickups such as the Radar King Kong EV compete with traditional internal combustion pickups.