(Yicai) April 25 -- Radar Auto, the all-electric pickup truck brand under Chinese auto giant Geely Holding Group, expects its overseas sales to account for up to one-third of its total sales this year.

One in three or four Radar pickups will likely be sold abroad this year, the marque predicted yesterday after announcing the launch of two new models and the signing of cooperation deals with car dealers from over 10 countries.

Exports of China-made pickups have grown for several years. China exported nearly 20,580 pickups last month, up 70 percent from a year earlier, according to statistics from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers. In the first quarter, the figure soared 51 percent to 57,117 units from the same period last year.

The overseas pickup truck market is still a blue ocean for Chinese carmakers, said Ling Shiquan, chief executive officer of Radar.

Radar launched an overseas expansion plan last July. Since then, it entered nearly 20 overseas markets, including Latin America, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia, receiving over 1,000 orders.

Guo Tiefu, the chief marketing officer of Radar, said he is confident that Radar can seize a larger market share than foreign brands in Southeast Asia, Australia, and New Zealand.

Thailand, similar to the US market, has a more established pickup culture and market than China, Ling told Yicai on April 23.

The Isuzu D-MAX, Toyota Hilux, and Ford Ranger are best-selling pickup trucks in Thailand, but they are still a decade backward in terms of technique, which means Chinese new energy pickups have greater advantages there, Ling noted, adding that this gives Radar great confidence to go global.

Editor: Futura Costaglione