Geely, the parent company of Lotus, Volvo and Polestar, is preparing to release an all-electric pickup truck to the market, bringing its electrification experience to a new, popular market segment.
RADAR, as it’s to be named, capital letters included, isn’t going to rival the load-lugging workhorses such as the Ford Ranger or Toyota Hilux but is instead set to be a lifestyle-oriented vehicle, more akin to the US-market Hyundai Santa Cruz.
Given that it is expected that Geely will base the RADAR on the chassis from the new Smart #1, a car it builds in a joint venture with Mercedes-Benz, it’ll not be a pickup truck to traverse mountains in but, as a lifestyle-friendly vehicle designed for more gentle pursuits, it should cope admirably with user’s demands.
Geely released some disguised ‘spy’ shots of RADAR, giving just a taste of what is to come. The shots show RADAR bedecked with a bicycle rack mounted above the cargo box, cementing the lifestyle orientation of the truck.
The close association with the Smart #1 suggests that it’s also likely to share the same 66kWh battery unit which, in the Smart, gives 273 miles of range. The pickup isn’t likely to be as sleek or light-weight, so that same power pack is more likely to achieve in the region of 240-250 miles on a full charge - a range which is more than acceptable for most day to day users.
Assuming the Smart’s electric motor is shared with Geely’s new electric pickup, it’ll develop 272hp with 343Nm of torque, and a 0-62mph time we would estimate to be around seven seconds. On-road performance will, therefore, be ahead of any current truck.
Geely hasn’t confirmed that RADAR will come to Europe, let alone the UK, but as demand for less rugged, more lifestyle pickup trucks grows, and the push towards electric power continues at pace, it could well push the Chinese manufacturer to broaden its market. Other manufacturers, including Kia, Hyundai and Ford, are also considering entering the potentially lucrative market.
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