Chery Holding Group’s pickup truck brand Rely Auto has launched its first pure-electric pickup in China, adding momentum to a small but fast-growing segment of the country’s new energy vehicle market.
Rely on Tuesday introduced the R08 EV with prices ranging from RMB 127,800 ($18,370) to RMB 158,800, marking the brand’s debut battery-electric pickup. The move follows earlier entries into the electric pickup space by rivals including Radar Auto, owned by Geely.
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The R08 EV measures 5,330 mm in length, 1,920 mm in width and 1,890 mm in height, with a wheelbase of 3,230 mm. It is offered in both rear-wheel-drive and all-wheel-drive variants. The rear-wheel-drive version uses a 150-kW electric motor with peak torque of 350 Nm, while the all-wheel-drive model delivers a combined output of 300 kW and 540 Nm.
Battery options include a 66.54-kWh or 88-kWh pack for the rear-wheel-drive version, providing ranges of 405 km and 510 km respectively. The all-wheel-drive variant uses the 88-kWh battery and offers a range of 505 km. The pickup supports Level 2 driver assistance functions and is equipped with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8155 chip for its in-vehicle cockpit system.
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Rely Auto was launched by Chery in April 2025 with the aim of positioning itself as a value-focused brand for new energy and intelligent pickup trucks. The gasoline-powered version of the R08 entered the market in September last year with a starting price of RMB 88,800. Chery has said the brand plans to introduce one new product annually over the next four years.
Pickup trucks remain a niche category in China due to restrictions on their use in urban areas, but demand has been rising. China sold 589,000 pickup trucks in 2025, an increase of 11.8% from the previous year, according to data from the China Passenger Car Association. New energy pickups, including pure electric and hybrid models, reached 73,000 units, up 243% year on year.
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Geely’s Radar brand unveiled its first model, the RD6, in mid-2022 and has since expanded sales to overseas markets including Laos. BYD has also signalled interest in the segment, launching the Shark hybrid pickup in Mexico in 2024 and indicating plans to introduce the model in China at a later stage.
For context, China’s total passenger vehicle retail sales reached 23.74 million units in 2025, with new energy vehicle sales accounting for 12.81 million units, underlining the broader shift toward electrification even as pickups remain a relatively small part of the market.