RADAR electric ute leaked

From the same corporate entity that owns Lotus, Volvo and Polestar comes RADAR, a ‘new energy’ or all-electric brand that will focus on adventure vehicles – and its first product will be a dual-cab 4x4 ute.

Chinese auto giant Geely is bank-rolling the new RADAR brand, which is likely to spawn more utes, several rugged electric SUVs and even some hard-core off-road 4x4s along the way.

Translated from Chinese, the RADAR name represents five tenets (rational, alone, discovery, accompany and romantic) and the new brand has already released some advertising material and partnered with National Geographic to push its ‘explorer’ ethos.

Leaked low-res images from the internal launch of the new RADAR brand, which is set to make its official global premiere in July, show an orange-coloured electric ute that matches patent images of a mysterious new Geely ute published in December 2021.

Chinese media reports suggest the new pick-up will be on sale in China later in 2022 and while details on its powertrain and battery pack are still being kept under lock and key, it would need to match the range of the upcoming electric ute from GWM, which is targeting around 450km.

It’s expected the ute will be based on Geely’s SEA electric vehicle platform, which will also underpin future Polestar electric vehicles, and entry-level 2WD versions should get a single e-motor. Up-spec 4x4 model grades will get dual-motors and Australian eyes will be looking closely at payloads and towing capacities.

Pricing will be crucial but given how expensive diesel and petrol is at present, you can expect market demand for hybrid and electric utes to increase sharply.

A Geely executive recently tweeted that the Chinese brand’s new electric pick-up would be the same size as a Toyota HiLux, Australia’s top-selling vehicle the past half decade, meaning the new RADAR ute will directly target Australia’s biggest single auto market segment if it gets the green light for local release.

Given Geely’s global ambitions and how deep its pockets are – and the Aussie love affair with the outdoors and utes – we’d be surprised if the Australian marketplace wasn’t being factored into RADAR’s planning.

It remains to be seen which car-maker will deliver Australia’s first EV ute, but there are several brands jockeying for pole position including GWM, LDV, Chery, Tesla, Rivian and Ford, via both the F-150 Lightning and Ford Ranger, to name a few.

Watch this space.

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