- The R08 EV starts at RMB 127,800 ($18,370) and is Rely's first pure-electric pickup.
- Pickups represent a niche market in China, with annual sales totaling 589,000 units in 2025.
Chery Holding Group's pickup brand Rely Auto has launched the R08 EV, becoming the latest entrant to explore China's electric pickup market following Geely's Radar Auto brand.
The R08 EV was officially launched in China on Tuesday with a starting price range of RMB 127,800 ($18,370) to RMB 158,800, marking Rely's first pure-electric pickup.
The vehicle measures 5,330 mm in length, 1,920 mm in width, and 1,890 mm in height, with a wheelbase of 3,230 mm.
The R08 EV offers rear-wheel drive and all-wheel drive configurations. The rear-wheel drive version features a 150-kW motor delivering 350 Nm of maximum torque. The all-wheel drive variant achieves a total power output of 300 kW with 540 Nm of peak torque.
The rear-wheel-drive variant features a 66.54-kWh or 88-kWh battery pack, delivering a range of 405 km or 510 km. The all-wheel-drive version utilizes an 88-kWh battery pack, achieving a range of 505 km.
The electric pickup supports Level 2 driver assistance functions and incorporates the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8155 chip for its cockpit system.
Rely Auto was launched by Chery on April 20, 2025, aiming to become the global benchmark for value in new energy and intelligent pickups.
Rely is an acronym combining the first letters of Rebuild, Explore, Link, and Yield. In overseas markets, Chery's pickup truck brand is Himla.
The brand plans to roll out one new product annually over the next four years, Chery announced last April. The gasoline version of the R08 was launched in September last year with a starting price of RMB 88,800.
Rely represents one of the rare pickup truck brands in the Chinese market.
Geely unveiled its Radar brand and its first model, the RD6, on July 12, 2022. The model was launched in China in October 2022, with initial deliveries occurring in late November 2022.
The Radar RD6 has been introduced to several overseas markets, including Laos.
BYD (HKG: 1211, OTCMKTS: BYDDY) launched the Shark hybrid pickup in Mexico on May 14, 2024 — a rare instance of the company rolling out a new model overseas before its home market.
Li Yunfei, BYD's general manager of branding and public relations, said last October that the company would eventually launch the Shark pickup in China.
Current Chinese policies are not favorable for pickup usage in urban areas, keeping this segment a niche market.
In 2025, China sold 589,000 pickup trucks, marking an 11.8% year-on-year increase, according to data from the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA).
New energy pickup trucks, including pure electric and hybrid models, reached 73,000 units in 2025, surging 243%.
For reference, China's total passenger vehicle retail sales in 2025 were 23.74 million units, with NEV retail sales at 12.81 million units.
($1 = RMB 6.9561)
