Chinese automaker Geely Holding Group launched its Riddara RD6 fully-electric double-cab pickup truck in Thailand this week, as the company looks to stake a claim on the country’s all-important pickup truck segment.

The RD6 was developed for global markets by Riddara New Energy Automobile Company Ltd, the truck unit of Geely’s Radar Auto lifestyle new energy vehicle (NEV) division. It was launched in Thailand at an event in Bangkok organized by Geely-owned local distributor Riddara Automobile (Thailand) Company Ltd.

The Riddara RD6 is based on Geely’s Multiplex Attached Platform (MAP) and aims to combine the capabilities of a pickup truck with the performance characteristics of a battery electric vehicle (BEV). It is designed to cater for the needs of modern family lifestyles as well as the demand of independent small business owners.

The RD6 comes with a choice of 63 kWh and 73 kWh lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery packs that provide a range of 373 km and 461 km respectively, while the top-spec 4WD model features an 86 kWh nickel manganese cobalt (NMC) battery which provides a range of 455 km. Prices start at THB899m (US$26,540) for the entry level model, rising to THB 1,299,000 (US$38,352) for the top of the range AWD model.

The RD6 is the first battery-powered pickup truck to be sold in Thailand, with the country’s leading producers Toyota and Isuzu scheduled to launch locally-made battery-powered models of their own in 2025. Thailand is a major global production hub for pickup trucks, with a total of 959,000 units produced for global markets last year – more than half of the country’s total vehicle output. Domestic sales amounted to 325,000 units.