One of the most anticipated electric utes from China is facing its first problem, well before it’s even landed in Australia.
The Geely Radar RD6 is facing an obstacle on its path to Australia.
A trademark filing uncovered by Drive shows Geely is facing opposition for Radar – the name of its electric ute – from a tyre brand with the same name.
Omni United, a Singapore-based tyre company that sells Radar tyres in North America and elsewhere, appears to have protested the use of the name for the electric ute.
“There are plans for global markets, but we can’t comment on roll-out plans and timings yet,” a spokesperson for Geely told Drive when the Radar ute was unveiled in July 2022.
Late last month, news outlet Reuters reported Chinese car giant Geely was “in the early stages” of setting up manufacturing in Thailand – the same country that builds the Toyota HiLux and Ford Ranger utes for the Australian market.
While Thai manufacturing would be a positive step for bringing a right-hand-drive version of the Geely ute to Australia, an insider downplayed the report, telling Drive the car-maker “hasn’t committed to building a factory [in Thailand]” at this stage.
The Geely Radar RD6 is sold in China with 63kWh, 86kWh, and 100kWh battery packs, with claimed driving ranges of 400, 550, and 632 kilometres respectively.
All models use a 200kW electric motor powering the rear wheels, with a claimed 0-100km/h time of 6.9 seconds.
MORE: Geely’s Radar RD6 electric ute on sale in China
It appears as if Geely submitted the Radar name in a trademark filing when the ute was first revealed, with the tyre company submitting its opposition to the use of the name in late 2022.
It’s not the first time there’s been friction between tyre brands and car names.
In July 2020, Ford asked supplier Goodyear to make its Wrangler branding less visible on tyres fitted to its Bronco – Ford’s off-road SUV designed as a direct competitor to the Jeep Wrangler.
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