Radar's electric pickup to galvanize segment

Radar, a marque under China's Geely Holding Group, launched an electric pickup truck on Wednesday.

It is a new edition of the marque's first model, the RD 6. Based on a dedicated electric vehicle platform, it features better handling than gasoline equivalents and can accelerate from zero to 100 kilometers/hour in 7.3 seconds.

The vehicle is priced at 145,800 yuan ($21,065), which enables it to take its internal combustion powered rivals head-on, as most of China's pickups are priced from 100,000 to 150,000 yuan.

Analysts said electrification may give the segment a boost, as it can make vehicles easier to handle and carry more comfortable features via the new platforms such vehicles are usually built on.

Unlike the United States, pickup trucks were once among the least popular segments in China's vehicle market.

Most car buyers tended to choose SUVs, but some have found pickups, which are more versatile, could be a better choice if they venture into the wilderness.

However, vehicle makers have tended to treat pickups as mere tools of transport, so there are not many choices for passenger vehicles in the segment.

Analysts said the growth potential for the pickup segment is vast, because of the growing number of nature lovers in the country.

There are around 140 million fishing enthusiasts, with those aged between 25-44 accounting for 46 percent of the total according to the China Angling Association.

Authorities are also encouraging suburban trips, which have become a way of life for many urban dwellers, said Yuan Weichao, an analyst at the State Information Center.

Statistics from the China Passenger Car Association show over 120,000 pickups were sold in the first three quarters this year.