Rumours of Geely’s possible return to SA gather pace with the Chinese giant having applied to trademark as many as 4 sub-brands locally, including the Riddara marque…
Remember Geely? Well, the Chinese automotive giant may well be plotting a return to South Africa, having filed to trademark a number of badges locally. The “Riddara” sub-brand is perhaps the most interesting application of them all, since it suggests the fully electric RD6 bakkie could be on the cards for Mzansi.
As a reminder, the Geely brand quietly exited South Africa around a decade ago. Now, with fellow Chinese companies such as GWM and Chery (not to mention their respective sub-brands) making significant inroads into the local market, Geely may well be positioning itself for a return. We contacted the automaker’s global press office for an official comment but have yet to receive a response.
Still, our information intriguingly suggests the Zhejiang-based company could be taking a multipronged approach to re-entering the South African market, following the lead of the rival firms mentioned above. In fact, we unearthed local trademark filings not only for the Geely marque itself but also for as many as 4 of the manufacturer’s sub-brands.
Yes, the Geely Holding Group – which counts the likes of Volvo Cars, Lotus and Proton (the latter itself having returned to Mzansi in 2022 after a 10-year absence) among its numerous subsidiaries – filed to trademark the latest “Geely” logo in South Africa as recently as January 2024. In overseas markets, the Geely brand offers several crossovers and SUVs (from the Monjaro to the Okavango), along with the Emgrand sedan.
Earlier, the Geely Holding Group registered its “Geometry” fully electric sub-brand in South Africa (as long ago as July 2021, in fact), while also filing to trademark “Farizon Auto” (its electric light-commercial vehicle marque) in October 2021. More recently, in September 2023, the Chinese giant applied to trademark “Zeekr” (another – somewhat more premium – pure-electric brand) in Mzansi.
But what about Riddara? Well, the Geely Holding Group applied for this trademark locally in April 2023, after its May 2022 application for “Radar” was provisionally refused. Known as “Radar Auto” in some markets, it’s described as a “new-energy outdoors lifestyle vehicle brand”. Though the automaker says it plans to offer a “full portfolio of electric lifestyle vehicles”, it so far makes only the RD6 double-cab bakkie (which, incidentally, was badged “R6” when it was revealed).
So, what do we know about the Riddara RD6? Well, production of left-hand-drive units started in China back in 2022, soon after the reveal in July of that year. Recently, however, Geely suggested on its LinkedIn profile that it had also started building right-hand-drive examples, even posting images of a freshly built right-hooker unit finished in white (sparking talk of a launch in Australia). That, of course, also opens to the door to South Africa.
For the record, the unibody RD6 measures 5 260 mm long (so, about 65 mm shorter from nose to tail than a Toyota Hilux double cab) and 1 900 mm wide, while standing 1 865 mm tall, with a ground clearance of 221 mm. The electric bakkie’s wheelbase comes in at 3 120 mm, while the load bay measures 1 525 mm long, 1 450 mm wide and 540 mm deep.
According to Riddara’s global website, the RD6 is available with a choice of battery capacities. The 63 kWh version offers a claimed range of 385 km, while the 86 kWh pack allows the driver to travel up to 517 km on a single charge, says Riddara. In each case, the rear-mounted electric motor offers heady peak outputs of 200 kW and 384 Nm, resulting in a claimed 0-100 kph time of 7.3 seconds.
The RD6’s kerb weight is listed as a little over 2 000 kg, while the braked towing capacity comes in at 2 500 kg. According to the company, the 63 kWh version has a load capacity of 775 kg, a figure that falls slightly to 755 kg in the case of the 86 kWh derivative.
We should, of course, point out that the collection of trademark applications detailed above is by no means a guarantee that Geely and its sub-brands will indeed launch in South Africa. But considering the recent local success of other automakers hailing from the world’s 2nd-most populous nation, we certainly wouldn’t be surprised to see the Geely Holding Group have another crack at Mzansi…
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