Geely is working on a new pickup aimed at the Ford Ranger and Toyota Hilux, Professional Pickup has learned. Taking the form of an all-new dual-cab 4×4, the new pickup is being developed in China with engineering assistance from the manufacturer’s Australian arm.

The new pickup would stand alongside the Radar, a compact pickup available in electric, plug-in hybrid, and petrol forms, which is being considered for the European and UK markets.

With the compact pickup market unproven here, with just KGM cautiously entering the segment with its Musso EV, a more rugged 4×4 pickup, especially one with plug-in hybrid power, would probably make more sense here — even if the UK pickup market is hardly booming at the moment.

Geely’s new model is expected to use a “new energy” powertrain rather than a conventional diesel or petrol engine. That likely means plug-in hybrid power, although a fully electric version has not been ruled out. We understand that Geely has no plans to launch purely combustion-engined models under its main brand in the UK, so this will not be a simple diesel Ranger rival.

The company has also been showing off its New Energy Off-Road Vehicle Architecture at the 2026 Beijing Motor Show, which includes some fairly dramatic-sounding technology, including powerful multi-motor electric drive, intelligent torque distribution, off-road driving modes, and active body control. That doesn’t mean the finished pickup will arrive with every concept-car trick intact, of course, but the basic direction is promising.

Payload, towing capacity, off-road ability, and long-distance usability are expected to be competitive with those of the Ford Ranger and BYD Shark 6 plug-in hybrid pickups. In Australia, the BYD Shark 6 has already shown there is demand for a plug-in hybrid pickup, attracting more than 18,000 buyers in 2025.

The pickup market in the UK is tougher, having been hit hard by tax changes and a cooling market. SMMT figures show new pickup registrations were down 54.0% in March 2026 to 3,732 units, and down 54.8% across the first quarter.

The Ranger PHEV shows that Ford sees a future for plug-in hybrid pickups, with BYD also circling Europe with the Shark. Toyota and Isuzu have gone down the full-electric route, but those models come with compromises that won’t suit every operator.

There is no confirmation that Geely’s new pickup will come to the UK, and there’s not even a finished production model. That’s not expected to arrive until late in 2027, by which point the UK market will have settled down, and we’ll be more certain of the underlying demand.

KGM’s Musso EV will help test whether UK buyers are ready for more compact, lifestyle-focused pickups, a space where Radar could yet have a role to play. But the bigger opportunity may lie elsewhere. If Geely can deliver a tougher plug-in hybrid 4×4 pickup with proper towing, payload and off-road ability, it would have a clearer place in the market.

Phil Huff
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