Chinese auto giant Geely’s Riddara RD6 electric ute has been launched in New Zealand with the same price as the popular BYD Shark 6 plug-in hybrid ute – NZ$69,990 (~A$63,350) before on-road costs – ahead of first customer deliveries across the ditch in September.
Confirmed last year for international export markets including Australia, where it will be known as the Riddara RD6 rather than the Radar RD6 as in China due to a trademark dispute, the battery-electric dual-cab ute also hits the Kiwi market at around the same price as the mid-range diesel-powered Ford Ranger XLT dual-cab 4×4.
If it launches with a similar price in Australia, the RD6 will be by far the cheapest all-electric ute to be sold Down Under, where the LDV eT60 became the first and so far only such vehicle available in 2022, priced at $92,990 before on-road costs.
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However, the rear-wheel drive eT60 will soon be replaced by the newer, four-wheel drive LDV eTerron 9 dual-cab, while a host of other dual-cab 4×4 electric utes, including the Isuzu D-Max EV.
So far there’s no sign of the recently confirmed plug-in hybrid version of the Riddara RD6 being released in New Zealand (let alone Australia), where the pure-electric RD6 dual-cab will be available in a single high-spec model variant.
The NZ-spec RD6 is fitted with dual-motor all-wheel drive powertrain offering a total system output of 315kW of power – enough for Geely to claim a 0-100km/h sprint time of just 4.5 seconds.
Both electric motors are fed by a 73kWh lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery with a claimed WLTP range of 360km.
Single-motor versions and a range of other power pack options including smaller LFP batteries and larger nickel manganese cobalt (NMC) batteries offering capacities of up to 100kWh are available in other markets.
However, a key difference to the eT60, eTerron 9, D-Max EV, plug-in hybrid utes like the Shark 6, Ranger PHEV and GWM Cannon Alpha PHEV – and in fact every other ute available in Australia – is that the RD6 is based on a car-like monocoque platform, rather than a more rugged ladder frame.
Nevertheless, New Zealand’s RD6 still offers a maximum payload of 1030kg and a braked towing capacity of 3000kg, which is less than Australia’s most popular diesel utes but more than the Shark 6.
The Riddara name was trademarked in Australia by Geely in March 2023, and the RD6 is expected to be sold alongside existing Geely models including the Geely EX5 mid-size electric SUV and the Starray EM-i mid-size plug-in hybrid SUV within the Geely Auto Australia dealer network.
Besides its namesake brand and Radar/Riddara, the Geely group comprises a host other auto brands including Volvo, Polestar, Lotus and Zeekr, all of which are distributed in New Zealand by the Giltrap Group’s new NordEast division.