GO
GoAutoLogo
MENU

> motor show > beijing > 2026 > Geely ute coming with new V6 hybrid engine

Make / Model Search

Future models - Geely - ute

Geely ute coming with new V6 hybrid engine

Hugely powerful four-cylinder and V6 hybrids to underpin Geely’s upcoming ute

28 Apr 2026

By TOM BAKER in BEIJING

GEELY Automotive Holdings (GAH) is developing a larger electrified ute that is set to use a new twin-turbocharged petrol V6 hybrid powertrain, giving the Chinese conglomerate a future rival for the BYD Shark 6, Toyota HiLux and Ford Ranger in Australia. 
 
Development of the pickup is ongoing, but GAH executive vice president and global spokesperson Victor Yang confirmed that Geely is preparing a next-generation model for its Riddara ute brand with six-cylinder hybrid power in the box seat. 
 
GAH has access to several sophisticated hybrid systems under its plugless i-HEV and plug-in (PHEV) EM-i and EM-P umbrellas developed entirely in-house. All are currently based around four-cylinder petrol engines, often with turbochargers. 
 
However, Geely-Renault joint venture Horse Powertrain used this week’s 2026 Auto China show in Beijing to unveil an all-new 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6 petrol engine that produces 350-400kW on its own. 
 
The ‘W30’ engine will be combined with mild or full hybrid systems and PHEV iterations could follow. 
 
“We have a pickup brand called Riddara (which has) the first full electric pickup,” Mr Yang told GoAuto. 
 
“We are thinking of using the hybrid system to develop the next-generation pickup as well.” 
 
Horse Powertrain documentation reveals that the ‘W30’ V6 will only go into service from 2028. If GAH decides to release Riddara’s Ranger rival earlier than that, it could launch with a powerful hybrid based on the four-cylinder Super Electric Power (SEP) powertrain from the Zeekr 8X SUV. 
 
“You see the Zeekr 8X with a two-litre engine and battery (that) is very powerful … the power output is much more than a V12. With a better driving experience from (the) electric powertrain, you will see we have a different and attractive product offering for the pickup range in future,” said Mr Yang. 
 
While readers may intuitively write off a four-cylinder, the engine used in the Zeekr SEP powertrain underpins a mega-powerful system that blitzes any six-cylinder option in the marketplace. 
 
All 8X variants use a 205kW 2.0-litre turbo four paired with either two electric motors for 660kW/935Nm outputs, or three motors for a wild 1030kW/1410Nm. 
 
It is now known that the SEP system can accept Horse Powertrain’s 350-400kW V6 engine, which would catapult combined outputs to even higher levels to support sustained heavy-duty off-roading, towing, and high payload requirements. 
 
This could be why Mr Yang dismissed GoAuto’s suggestion that the Horse ‘W30’ be expanded to eight cylinders – despite it being technically possible to do so. 
 
When it arrives, the new Riddara ute model will sit above the brand’s existing RD6, which is a narrower unibody-based BEV pickup sold in China, Singapore and New Zealand. 
 
That model was ruled out for Australia as it did not match Australian range, power, payload, towing or off-roading requirements. 
 
Speaking with GoAuto last year, former Geely Australia chief executive Lei Li said the car-maker was aware of what would be required to compete in the Australian ute market. 
 
“Long driving range, towing capacity, loading capacity and off-road (capability): that is definitely the demand, from my point of view,” said Mr Li. 
 
Those priorities point to a vehicle that will be larger and more serious than the RD6, most likely based on a new ladder frame or a robust unibody structure capable of credible articulation with heavy payload and towing targets. 
 
The timing is significant. Australia’s electrified ute segment is expanding rapidly, led by the BYD Shark 6 PHEV. That entrant captured over 18,000 sales and market share of 8.5 per cent in 2025 despite deliveries only commencing in February that year. 
 
Several legacy and new brands are changing their planning for the ute segment based on the Shark 6’s runaway success while noting how traditional diesel utes are dangerously exposed to NVES laws. 
 
High-volume diesel utes are among the most difficult vehicles for car-makers to offset under NVES fleet emissions rules because their CO2 outputs are high, and their sales volumes are substantial. 
 
This makes the compounding penalty exposure far more expensive than it is for low-volume sportscars. 
 
A four-cylinder or V6 hybrid Geely ute would arrive with a clear regulatory advantage while addressing some of the major limitations of BEV pickups.

Read more

All motor show

Motor industry news

GoAutoNews is Australia’s number one automotive industry journal covering the latest news, future and new model releases, market trends, industry personnel movements, and international events.

Click to share

Click below to follow us on
Facebook  Twitter  Instagram

All motor show

Motor industry news

GoAutoNews is Australia’s number one automotive industry journal covering the latest news, future and new model releases, market trends, industry personnel movements, and international events.
Catch up on all of the latest industry news with this week's edition of GoAutoNews
Click here