Chinese auto giant Geely’s Riddara RD6 electric ute has been launched in Recent Zealand with the identical price as the favored 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 yr for international export markets including Australia, where it can be often known as the Riddara RD6 slightly than the Radar RD6 as in China as a result of a trademark dispute, the battery-electric dual-cab ute also hits the Kiwi market at around the identical price because the mid-range diesel-powered Ford Ranger XLT dual-cab 4×4.
If it launches with an analogous price in Australia, the RD6 might be by far the most affordable all-electric ute to be sold Down Under, where the LDV eT60 became the primary and to this point only such vehicle available in 2022, priced at $92,990 before on-road costs.
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Nonetheless, the rear-wheel drive eT60 will soon get replaced by the newer, four-wheel drive LDV eTerron 9 dual-cab, while a number of other dual-cab 4×4 electric utes, including the Isuzu D-Max EV.
Up to now there’s no sign of the recently confirmed plug-in hybrid version of the Riddara RD6 being released in Recent Zealand (let alone Australia), where the pure-electric RD6 dual-cab might be available in a single high-spec model variant.
The NZ-spec RD6 is fitted with dual-motor all-wheel drive powertrain offering a complete system output of 315kW of power – enough for Geely to assert a 0-100km/h sprint time of just 4.5 seconds.
Each electric motors are fed by a 73kWh lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery with a claimed WLTP range of 360km.
Single-motor versions and a spread of other power pack options including smaller LFP batteries and bigger nickel manganese cobalt (NMC) batteries offering capacities of as much as 100kWh can be found in other markets.
Nonetheless, a key difference to the eT60, eTerron 9, D-Max EV, plug-in hybrid utes just like the Shark 6, Ranger PHEV and GWM Cannon Alpha PHEV – and in reality every other ute available in Australia – is that the RD6 is predicated on a car-like monocoque platform, slightly than a more rugged ladder frame.
Nevertheless, Recent Zealand’s RD6 still offers a maximum payload of 1030kg and a braked towing capability of 3000kg, which is lower than Australia’s hottest diesel utes but greater than the Shark 6.
The Riddara name was trademarked in Australia by Geely in March 2023, and the RD6 is anticipated 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 inside the Geely Auto Australia dealer network.
Besides its namesake brand and Radar/Riddara, the Geely group comprises a number other auto brands including Volvo, Polestar, Lotus and Zeekr, all of that are distributed in Recent Zealand by the Giltrap Group’s latest NordEast division.
This Article First Appeared At www.carexpert.com.au
