Pick-up trucks in China are still considered a niche market. Hence, ’s new electric vehicle (EV) brand Radar is already considering plans to launch its Radar RD6 full-electric pick-up truck in the Southeast Asian region.
In an interview with Reuters at the launch of the RD6, Radar CEO Ling Shiquan revealed that the company is currently studying the Southeast Asian market for potential expansion opportunities.
Currently, Geely is present in only two ASEAN countries, Philippines and Malaysia (Proton). There were plans to introduce Geometry, another one of Geely's EV sub-brand, in Singapore however it is no longer happening.
But that’s not the only market Radar is hoping to enter, the company also has ambitious plans to market the RD6 in the United States, the world’s largest pick-up market.
As mentioned, pick-ups are still considered a niche segment in China. This is due to the ban of pick-ups on most urban roads in several cities in China for environmental purposes. As such, pick-ups are only popular amongst farmers.
Pick-ups only contribute to around 2 percent of China’s auto sales in 2021. However, the market for pick-ups is slowly growing as city residences developed an interest in outdoor activities like camping due to the coronavirus restrictions.
The Radar RD6 is a unibody pick-up truck developed on Geely's Sustainable Experience Architecture (SEA) platform. This makes the RD6 closer to a Arena than a as the latter is a ladder fram chassis.
The pick-up is expected to go on sale in China in the fourth quarter of 2022, for now the only detail that has been revealed is that the RD6 is capable of 600 km on one full charge. The pick-up will be assembled at the company’s Shandong plant.
Keyword: Radar RD6 pick-up might come to Malaysia, Geely's new EV brand mulling Southeast Asian launch