Riddara RD6 no longer an EV-only as new plug-in hybrid debuts

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.

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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 as 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 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 carnewschina.com and paultan.org.

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