Volvo's Parent Company Geely Launches a New Outdoor Lifestyle EV Brand Named 'RADAR'

author: FutureCar Staff    

The RADAR RD6 electric pickup truck.

Competition in the fully electric truck and SUV market is growing now that automakers Ford, General Motors, Subaru newcomer Rivian have launched fully electric truck models. Targeting adventure seeking customers that are looking for a zero-emissions electric truck or SUV to take on off-road adventures is one of the reasons that electric truck startup Rivian stands out from EV leader Tesla in the U.S. market.

Now Chinese automaker Zhejiang Geely Holding Group Ltd ("Geely"), which is the parent company of Sweden's Volvo Cars, is following in Rivian's footsteps and launched its own outdoor lifestyle EV brand in China named RADAR, local news outlet Gasgoo reports. 

Geely says that RADAR is China's first full electric outdoor lifestyle vehicle brand. It will target urban professionals in China that want an electric vehicle to take on weekend adventures such as camping trips. It's similar to the marketing strategy of Rivian.

Following the announcement of the RADAR brand, the company revealed its first electric adventure vehicle, a pickup named the "RD6". The overall look of the RD6 resembles the Honda Ridgeline and Hyundai Santa Cruz pickups. The RD6 will officially launch on Sept 9.

Production and deliveries of the RD6 will begin in the fourth quarter of 2022.

Following the launch of the RD6, RADAR plans to introduce an entire portfolio of electric lifestyle vehicles that include pick-up trucks, SUVs, as well as all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) (all-terrain vehicles) and other RADAR-branded lifestyle products.

RADAR was launched as an independent brand within Geely Holding Group, which will give the brand considerable access to its parent company's EV technologies, including shared components and manufacturing capacity.

RADAR has its own R&D facility in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province and a fully-equipped production base in Zibo city, Shandong Province where it will build its vehicles. 

The RD6 will be built on Geely's Sustainable Experience Architecture ("SEA") which supports both rear-wheel-drive and all-wheel drive with dual or single electric motor setups. 

Details of the performance and range figures will be announced ahead of the RD6's launch later this year, but it will reportedly have a range of around 600 km (372 miles) with a 0 to 60mph acceleration time of under 6 seconds.

Geely also jointly operates electric brand Polestar together with Volvo Cars. Polestar reported record Q1 sales in 2022 of 13,600 vehicles. Customer reservations also more than tripled to nearly 23,000 compared to the same period in 2021.

Polestar aims to expand to 30 markets by the end of 2023. These new markets include the Middle East and Europe, where Polestar plans to expand to Spain and Portugal for the first time. Plans are also in place for Polestar to begin operations in Israel and Italy later this year.

FutureCar Staff