A ute is on the wish list for Australia's newest Chinese brand, Geely – and it could be a version of an electric pick-up one of its sister companies has already confirmed for local roads.
Returned Chinese car maker Geely wants in on Australia's love of utes – but it may do so with a car-derived 'lifestyle' electric pick-up known as the Riddara, not a heavy-duty diesel 4x4.
The automotive giant – owner of Volvo, Polestar, Lotus and a fleet of other brands – is back in Australian showrooms this year with an electric SUV after a brief stint selling cut-priced sedans in Western Australia through an importer nearly 20 years ago.
On Geely's wish list to follow its upcoming electric and hybrid SUVs is a ute, the body style that accounts for three of Australia's Top 10 best-selling cars.
"We know Australians love their pick-ups. We understand that," Geely Australia boss Lei Li told Drive at the brand's local launch this week.
"As you mentioned, we have a pick-up from our [Geely group] product line. Now, we are definitely looking at these opportunities, but probably someday [we will have a ute], yeah."
The ute referenced by Drive to the Geely executive – and the most likely candidate for its showrooms – is the Riddara RD6, an electric dual-cab from another brand within the Geely group of companies.
The Riddara has already been confirmed for Australia by the Geely group – with arrival timing yet to be confirmed – but it is not known if it would be sold as a Riddara, or rebadged as a Geely.
Sold in China as the Radar – but renamed for export markets due to a trademark clash with Singapore's Radar tyre maker – the RD6 is based on passenger-car underpinnings, not a conventional heavy-duty ladder frame.
It offers a choice of single-motor rear-wheel drive or dual-motor all-wheel drive, rated for more than 500km of driving range in Chinese CLTC lab testing.
Asked if Geely has made a decision on a ute to sell in Australia, Li said: "We have so many products … [it won't be] easy to pick."
And when quizzed on whether Geely is interested in selling a model from Riddara or another group brand under its own badge, the executive said: "The strategy so far, we are focusing on the Geely product."
The two modern-era Geely models confirmed for Australia thus far are the EX5 and Starship 7, both marketed in their home market under the Geely Galaxy nameplate.
Plans shown to Australian media call for six Geely models in showrooms in the next three years, all based on a "Geely global architecture", and all 'new-energy vehicles' – the Chinese term for plug-in hybrid, range-extender and/or electric cars.
If the Riddara is not rebadged for Australia, Geely would need to develop its own ute, and given the brand's focus on electrified vehicles, it may be a plug-in hybrid to rival the BYD Shark 6, or fully-electric to challenge the LDV eTerron 9.
Alex Misoyannis has been writing about cars since 2017, when he started his own website, Redline. He contributed for Drive in 2018, before joining CarAdvice in 2019, becoming a regular contributing journalist within the news team in 2020. Cars have played a central role throughout Alex’s life, from flicking through car magazines at a young age, to growing up around performance vehicles in a car-loving family. Highly Commended - Young Writer of the Year 2024 (Under 30) Rising Star Journalist, 2024 Winner Scoop of The Year - 2024 Winner
