Looks like Geely wants to get in on the EV pickup fun. It is launching a new brand called Radar Auto, and its first vehicle—the RD6 that’s based off the same architecture as the Lotus Eletre—will arrive later in 2022. The brand will build more than just trucks; Radar and Geely have plans for SUVs and “lifestyle vehicles” like ATVs in its future. Despite it being a truck and SUV brand, there is a small catch to Radar: its products will only be available in China, for now.
Scanning Radar
According to Geely, Radar Auto is an independent arm of Geely Holding Group, much like Volvo, Polestar, and Lotus are, with Dr. Ling Shi Quan leading the way as its CEO. It has its own R&D facility in Hangzhou, China, and a fully equipped EV production facility in Zibo, Shandong, China, where that pickup will be manufactured starting in the fourth quarter of 2022. Dr. Ling, according to Geely, “is a veteran engineering lead at Geely Auto Group and has taken responsibility for several major milestone projects for the Geely Auto Group of brands including Lynk & Co and Geely Auto.”
The First Blip on Radar Auto
The Radar Auto RD6 looks like a sort of weird mashup of the current Honda Ridgeline along with some Lotus- and Volvo-like cues in the front design. It’s actually based off of the same vehicle architecture as the Lotus Eletre and Polestar 4, called the Sustainable Experience Architecture (SEA). By doing so, not only will the RD6 enter production later this year, but it will also come as a single or dual motor vehicle.
The RD6 was designed by Peter Horbury, a vehicle designer who worked at Ford and then Volvo when it was acquired by Geely. His U.K.-based design studio has been mostly tapped for Lotus vehicles, but for Radar Auto, Horbury hinted that the RD6 and future Radar vehicles will not be merely Lotus vehicles with lift kits. “The Radar product portfolio is focused on electric pick-up trucks and SUVs,” said Horbury in a statement from Geely, “this direction challenges us to mix functionality and usability with aesthetic form. Our aim is to let Radar users expand their horizons and explore nature in a sustainable way.”
A Brand Larger Than Vehicles
While it looks like a light-weight pickup for city duty, the RD6 does sport some useful features like a multitude of power outlets in the bed and a frunk.
Few other RD6 details were provided, but we can glean some hints as to where it and the Radar Auto brand are heading. Geely mentions the Radar Weekends, a sub-brand that focuses on outdoor lifestyles and “will cooperate with different partners to create a fun, diverse outdoors ecosystem.” One partnership already in the works includes NatureHike—a brand that specializes in camping gear and tents—that will develop camping and outdoor related accessories that work with Radar Auto vehicles. Beyond that, Radar will also focus on SUVs and ATVs as Geely said that Radar is “starting with trucks but is much more than just trucks.”
The Radar RD6 is set to begin deliveries in the fourth quarter of 2022 in China as a Chinese domestic vehicle only, but Geely has global ambitions for the brand. We should hear more about Radar Auto and the RD6 just before then and, hopefully, they will reveal more than just the details on their EV pickup.
Keyword: Geely Launches Radar Brand in China With RD6 EV Pickup Truck