Author | Zhu Shiyun
Editor | Zhu Shiyun
“As you can see, we are not just a pickup brand, we are an outdoor travel brand.” Radar Automotive CGO (Chief Business Growth Officer) Yi Han told “Electric Vehicle Observer”.
On July 12th, after a year of preparation, RADAR, a new brand under Geely Holding Group, was officially launched. Its Chinese name is “雷达” (Radar), and its first pure electric pickup, the RD6 based on SEA Haohuan architecture, also made its debut.
RD6 is just the opening product of Radar. According to the plan, in the future, Radar Automotive will launch diversified products including medium-sized pure electric pickups, medium-to-large-sized new energy pickups, full-size pure electric pickups, off-road SUVs, ATVs, etc., with power modes including pure electric and hybrid, to support its brand proposition of “diversified outdoor, unlimited exploration”.
Outdoor and electric pickups are both lucrative markets at the moment, and Radar’s intention to quickly enter the market is naturally very obvious. But why did Geely create a brand new brand like Radar instead of expanding product categories under existing brands?
Mobile Multi-Electric Space
“Radar RD6 is the first domestically developed pure electric pickup product based on the pure electric platform, based on the Haohuan architecture and Geely’s technical resources.” Yi Han said: Radar positions RD6 as a “mobile multi-electric space”.
During the press conference and subsequent interviews, the Radar official only revealed limited information about RD6. Its pure electric range is 600 kilometers.
Compared with that, the price of the Great Wall Cannon EV with a range of 405 kilometers under NEDC working conditions is between RMB 251,800-267,800 yuan;
The comprehensive EPA (EPA＞WLTP＞NEDC) range of the U.S. pure electric pickup brand RIVIAN’s R1T model, which costs $65,000 ($437,000), is 505 km.
Yi Han said that RD6 has better performance than other domestic pure electric pickup products in terms of space, driving comfort, and intelligent driving.
He gave an example that the front trunk space of the RD6 exceeds 70 liters. The rear box supports the function of external power supply on the road, and the power can reach 6 kW, which is the maximum value of external power supply for all electric vehicles on the market.
“We spare no effort to achieve 6 kW of external power supply to meet the demand for diversified electrical loads in outdoor scenarios. You can connect a projector, connect an induction cooker, and sometimes even connect some high-power electrical appliances such as welding and cutting machines.”
The outdoor-oriented brand, Radar, not only meets demands in product development, but also strives to enhance its outdoor attributes in terms of service and user operation.
Regarding charging, Mr. Ling Shiquan, CEO of Radar Automotive Co., Ltd., stated to Electric Vehicle Observer that “Radar will first rely on Geely’s own charging system.” Currently, Geely has established three supporting companies involving charging, battery-swapping and green power recycling systems, namely, Green Link, Terra Friendly and Sunshine Ming Island.
“Secondly, Radar will achieve interconnectivity with third-party energy platforms; moreover, Radar has planned some emergency charging solutions for users.”
In terms of user operation, “Radar will launch a lifestyle boutique sub-brand that focuses on the outdoor lifestyle —— RADAR Weekend.”
At the press conference, Radar announced a deep cooperation with Naturehike, a global one-stop camping gear brand. The two parties will jointly develop a series of products that will be launched in the second half of this year and will develop multiple outdoor camping expansion equipment. It was also announced that Radar will initiate the “Guardian of Natural Wonders” program with the Chinese version of National Geographic, upholding the environmental concept of zero impact.
Geely’s New Exploration
Radar is another extension product of the Geely vast platform, which can support the landing of two blue Geely Action plans at the same time, pure electric and super hybrid power modes. However, Radar is more than just that for Geely.
Dr. Ling Shiquan stated to Electric Vehicle Observer that “Radar brand will develop in conjunction with other Geely brands. “We, Radar Automotive, are an important part of Geely’s new energy strategy and enrich Geely’s automotive industrial chain layout; compared with other Geely brands, we mainly focus on building product attributes and service characteristics for diversified outdoor activities.”
From an organizational structure standpoint, the Radar brand is not affiliated with Geely Automotive. Radar Automotive (Shandong) Co., Ltd. and Geely Pickup Vehicle Sales (Shandong) Co., Ltd. are wholly owned by Hangzhou Geely Automobile Research and Development Co., Ltd. At the top level is directly controlled by Zhejiang Geely Holding Group Co., Ltd.
Ling Shiquan, who has led the development of Geely Borui, Boyue, Xingyue, and Lynk & Co 01, 09, is the legal person of Hangzhou Geely Automobile Research and Development Co., Ltd.Before the launch of Radar, brands such as Geely, Lynk & Co, Geometry, and Volvo, all under the umbrella of the Geely Group, were arranged in different price ranges to cover various sub-sectors of the market.
Radar is the first brand within the Geely Group to organize products and services from specific scenarios rather than price ranges.
This strategy is quite similar to Great Wall Motor’s category innovation. Ling Wen, from Geely Holding Group’s R&D company, is bound to mobilize various technology and service resources within the Geely Group at a higher level to support and build the Radar brand.
From this perspective, Radar is also an exploration of the category innovation system model of the Geely Group. Choosing to land in the pickup market is naturally because the pickup market is currently a scarce blue ocean market.
Data from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers shows that in 2021, China’s pickup truck sales surpassed the 500,000 mark for the first time, reaching 554,000, an increase of 12.83% year-on-year, accounting for 2.1% of China’s total automobile sales. Compared to the global market share of 7%, there is still considerable room for growth.
New energy pickup truck products have only recently appeared. Foreign brands such as General Motors, Ford, Volkswagen, Tesla, Rivian, Bollinger, etc., have made moves in this segment. Among Chinese automakers, Great Wall Motor and SAIC-GM have also launched products.
Moreover, there are continuous positive policies. After China’s first trial lift of the ban on pickup trucks in 2016, more than 90 cities have successively relaxed restrictions on pickup trucks. In addition, the Ministry of Commerce has repeatedly proposed policies such as “accelerating the cancellation of entry restrictions for pickup trucks” and “promoting the use of pickup trucks in rural areas”. In June, Wuhan and Tianjin successively issued policies allowing pickup trucks to enter the city.
“Creating the first pure electric pickup truck is the first step for Radar, and subsequent actions will be the capital of market competition.” Radar officially stated that Radar’s future product form is likely to extend from travel tools to the whole-scenario category. Beginning with pickup trucks, not limited to pickup trucks, fully laying out the outdoor market.
This article is a translation by ChatGPT of a Chinese report from 42HOW. If you have any questions about it, please email bd@42how.com.