Latest news with #HorizonKingKongEM-P
The Citizen
06-08-2025
- Automotive
- The Citizen
Shark-rivalling Riddara RD6 PHEV not for South Africa for now
Available with rear-wheel-drive or all-wheel-drive, the Geely-owned Radar brand's only bakkie will be marketed solely as an EV locally. With pricing still to be announced, Riddara importer, Enviro Automotive, has confirmed that the plug-in hybrid (PHEV) version of the Geely-owned brand's bakkie has, for the moment, not been given approval for the local market. Partial electrification Known as the Horizon in China and sold by Riddara under its domestic market name of Radar Auto as the Radar Horizon, the hybrid version made its world debut in May as the Horizon King Kong EM-P with an unchanged interior and exterior from the EV version. ALSO READ: Riddara RD6 no longer an EV-only as new plug-in hybrid debuts Renamed Riddara RD6 in certain other export markets, the EM-P combines Geely's in-house developed 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine with a 19-kWh battery pack powering two electric motors. The result is a combined output of 260kW/914Nm, a claimed 0-100 km/h sprint time of 6.3 seconds, and an all-electric range of 100 km on China's CLTC ratings. PHEV vs EV By comparison, the electric RD6, which had been expected to debut at the Nampo Agricultural Expo in Bothaville in the Free State that some months ago, makes use of a 73-kWh lithium phosphate battery pack that powers either a single or a pair of electric motors. Pricing for the Riddara RD6 in South Africa hasn't yet been given. Image: Enviro Automotive In the case of the single motor rear-wheel-drive variant, outputs stand at 200kW/384Nm, which enables it to get from 0-100 km/h in 7.3 seconds and on to a top speed of 185 km/h. The claimed all-electric range is 424 km. The dual-motor all-wheel-drive outputs 315kW/595Nm, which translates to a top speed of 190 km/h, 0-100 km/h in 4.5 seconds and the same 424 km range. Reason… Inclusive of a five-year/150 000 km warranty and an eight-year/200 000 km battery warranty, the EV RD6's imminent price reveal won't lead to the arrival of the hybrid as a rival for the BYD Shark and the GWM P500 PHEV. In a reply to The Citizen, Enviro Automotive attributes this to the PHEV not being available with right-hand drive at present. As such, only the electric variant will prevail at a 'significant price reduction', the importer says, which will make it a 'compelling and economically sound alternative to [its] internal combustion engine counterparts'. NOW READ: Riddara RD6 plugged-in as South Africa's first electric bakkie
The Citizen
29-05-2025
- Automotive
- The Citizen
Riddara RD6 no longer an EV-only as new plug-in hybrid debuts
Availability to key export markets, which could include South Africa, has been approved. Known as the Radar Horizon King Kong EM-P in China, the export version will again be sold as the Riddara RD6, affixed with the EM-P nomenclature. Image: Supposed to have been shown at the Nampo Agricultural Expo in Bothaville in the Free State last month, which never happened due to apparent shipping delays, Geely-owned Radar Auto has debuted a first-time plug-in hybrid version of the Horizon bakkie in China known as the Horizon King Kong EM-P. The latter suffix also used by Great Wall Motors (GWM) for its King Kong Cannon that sits below the Poer, known locally as the P Series and after its recent facelift, P300, the Horizon King Kong EM-P appears unchanged aesthetically from the electric derivative that has been on-sale in the People's Republic since 2022. Combustion joins EV Renamed Riddara RD6 in export markets, which will soon include South Africa, the plug-in hybrid setup combines a 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine with a 19-kWh battery pack powering two electric motors. ALSO READ: Riddara RD6 electric bakkie penned-in for Nampo showing Hooked to a three-speed Dedicated Hybrid Transmission (DHT), the Horizon King Kong EM-P has a combined system output of 260kW/914Nm, which Radar claims will see it get from 0-100 km/h in 6.3 seconds and in 8.6 seconds with its maximum payload of 1 000 kg in the loadbin. Geely launched the Radar King Kong EM-P pickup truck in China with a starting price of 19,400 USD. To launch overseas as Riddara RD6 EM-P. 👇 May 28, 2025 Able to travel 100 km on the electric hardware alone, based on China's CLTC measurements, the Horizon King Kong EM-P has a combined range of 1 068 km when taking the petrol engine into consideration, and supports vehicle-to-load (V2L) charging of up to 3.3 kW. What has stayed the same Dimensionally, the Horizon King Kong EM-P remains unchanged from the EV with an overall length of 5 260 mm, wheelbase of 3 120 mm, height of 1 865 mm and width of 1 900 mm. A long wheelbase version will, however, also be offered with dimensions of 5 550 mm, a wheelbase of 3 310 mm and the same height and width as the conventional variant. Regardless, both bodystyles have a ground clearance of 225 mm, the same the EV. Claimed loadbin capacity is 1 200-litres, though the figure for the long wheelbase wasn't disclosed. Being all-wheel-drive from the start also means the inclusion of four off-road modes; Snow, Mud, Sand and Off-Road. Inside, the Radar Horizon King Kong EM-P differs little from the EV, bar new instruments inside the 10.2-inch cluster due to the fitting of the combustion engine. The rest of the interior's layout is otherwise identical and will most likely to feature the same assortment of specification items as the electric model. South Africa awaits Now on-sale in China in three variants priced from 139 800 yuan to 159 800 yuan, which directly converts from R346 695 and R396 293, the Radar Horizon King Kong EM-P has been approved for export markets under the Riddara RD6 EM-P moniker from later this year. At present, it remains to be seen whether local importer, Enviro Automotive, will see it fit to offer the plug-in hybrid in South Africa as an alternative to the EV. For the moment, pricing of the latter is unknown, with the only hint being Enviro's promise that it has 'implemented significant price reductions' as a means of making the RD6 a 'compelling and economically sound alternative to [its] internal combustion engine counterparts'. Originally planned for introduction this month, which subsequently became the Nampo no-show, expect more details about the electric RD6 to be announced in due course. Additional information from and NOW READ: Riddara RD6 plugged-in as South Africa's first electric bakkie
