This new Chinese electric ute is going global

Some five months after Geely’s Radar Auto brand began customer deliveries of its RD6 electric ute in China, the company has now produced its first batch for export markets.

Radar Auto shared a number of images on its social media showing the RD6 electric utes rolling off the production line in Zibo, China.

It’s unclear what markets the Radar RD6 are being exported to at this stage. When asked if it’s coming to Australia in the comments of Geely Group’s tweet, they responded with “stay tuned to find out”.

CarExpert reported late last year 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 claimed 0-100km/h sprint time is 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 test cycle.

It can be DC fast-charged at speeds up to 120kW, and AC charged at speeds of up to 11kW. The ute also has 6kW vehicle-to-load (V2L) function with 220V outlets in the tub for powering external devices, as well as vehicle-to-vehicle charging abilities.

The RD6 is underpinned by a version of Geely’s Sustainable Experience Architecture (SEA), which also underpins models like the Volvo EX30, Zeekr X, Polestar 4, and Smart #1.

It has MacPherson strut suspension up front, and a multi-link setup 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 Toyota HiLux and Ford Ranger.

There’s also a 70-litre front boot or ‘frunk’ in the RD6, as well as a 48-litre storage space under the second row of seats.

In terms of design, the Radar RD6 has Matrix LED headlights, tail lights with an ‘X’ signature, and a 55-inch panoramic sunroof. It also has a claimed drag coefficient of 0.32.

Inside, the RD6 features a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, a 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system, a 9.0-inch head-up display, and 72-colour interior ambient lighting.

On the safety front the Radar RD6 offers 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.

Geely Group has previously said 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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