If it’s not SUVs, it’s pickups that are key to sales success in Southeast Asia. The Chinese automakers are well aware of this, which is possibly why we see a whole lot of them introduced in the country in the last couple of months.
Foton has been at it for years, but other automakers such as JMC, JAC, and Great Wall Motors have been making strides. Curiously absent from the list is Geely, but that might change soon.
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You’ve probably heard of the Geely Radar RD6 by this point. As a refresher, it’s the brand’s first attempt at building a pickup and is sold under the Radar brand over in its home market. Now, it’s set to make its premiere in Southeast Asia as the Geely Riddara RD6.
More specifically, it’s Thailand that will get it first. Perhaps that doesn’t come as much as a surprise as The Land Of Smiles is absolutely in love with pickup trucks. It’s set to be launched there by November, marking the first time the RD6 will be sold outside China.
Now that it’s confirmed that it’s coming to Thailand, does this mean the rest of ASEAN will get it? There’s a good chance of that, we say. Trawl around social media and you’ll spy shots of it. That’s not just in our neighboring countries, either, a couple of them have been spotted in the Philippines. It’s possible that these pickups are undoing suitability testing here.
Specs? The Thai version isn’t locked in yet, but we can base a few on the Chinese model. It only comes with electric power, and it only comes with a single motor for now. However, there are two battery options available, one with 63kWh or 86kWh capacities.
The single electric motor doles out 268hp and 384Nm of torque. Geely reckons a range of 415km to 560km, depending on the battery size. Despite having some underpinnings from the Okavango, the Radar RD6 is actually rear-wheel drive. Meanwhile, ground clearance is rated at 221mm and has a payload capacity of up to 790kg.
