Rox Motor Has RHD Models Ready For Australian Market, And Perhaps Ours Too?

Rox Motor Targets Australia Launch: Roborock Founder’s Luxury REEV SUV Brand Eyes RHD Expansion

China’s booming crop of electrified off-road brands is preparing to send another heavyweight Down Under. Rox Motor (formerly known as Polestones / LuoKe) is targeting an official entry into the Australian market in late 2026 or early 2027.

The development represents a critical strategic pivot for the startup. Launching in Australia necessitates the development of dedicated factory-built right-hand drive (RHD) platforms—an engineering milestone that almost certainly paves the way for subsequent rollouts across mature RHD markets in Southeast Asia, including Malaysia, Thailand, and Singapore.

Positioned against segment stalwarts like the Land Rover Defender, Toyota LandCruiser 300 Series, and Lexus LX, Rox Motor’s offensive is led by two full-size extended-range electric vehicles (REEVs): the original Rox 01 and its higher-tier evolution, the Rox Adamas.

Who is Rox Motor? From Robot Vacuums to Rugged 4x4s

While relatively new to international motorists, Rox Motor carries formidable technological and financial pedigree:

• Tech Background: Founded in 2021 as Shanghai Luoke Intelligent Technology Co., Ltd., the company was created by Chang Jing, the billionaire tech entrepreneur behind Roborock—the consumer-robotics giant backed early on by Xiaomi. Leveraging his background in algorithmic navigation and smart IoT hardware, Chang set out to build an outdoor-lifestyle vehicle brand tailored around camping, off-tarmac exploration, and extreme software integration.
• Manufacturing Muscle: Rather than navigating the lengthy regulatory hurdles of building greenfield car plants, Rox Motor partnered with established state-linked vehicle manufacturer BAW (Beijing Automobile Works) for contract vehicle assembly.
• Heavyweight Financial Backing: In late 2023, industrial materials titan Weiqiao Pioneer Group injected a massive US$1 billion (RM4.4 billion) strategic investment into Rox Motor. The tie-up also led to a lightweight engineering laboratory that pushed the structural aluminum content in Rox platforms to roughly 50%.
• Italian Styling: The upright, squared-off exterior proportions of the Rox 01 were penned in collaboration with legendary Italian design house Pininfarina, aiming to combine traditional European two-box luxury aesthetic with brutalist overlanding cues.

REEV Muscle: 350 kW Dual-Motor AWD and 1,226 km Touring Range

Unlike pure battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) that remain hindered by towing range penalties and remote charging blackspots, Rox Motor relies exclusively on Range-Extender Electric Vehicle (REEV) engineering.

Under the sheet metal, the wheels are driven entirely by electric traction motors, eliminating mechanical transfer cases while ensuring instantaneous throttle response:

• Powertrain Outputs: A dual-motor electric all-wheel-drive setup pumps out a combined 350 kW (476 PS) and 740 Nm of torque, catapulting the three-ton hauler from 0 to 100 km/h in just 5.5 seconds.
• Onboard Power Station: Serving solely as an onboard generator is a front-mounted 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine. The petrol mill never directly drives the wheels; instead, it charges the battery on the move once stored energy depletes.
• CATL Battery Pack: A large 56.01 kWh ternary lithium battery pack provides up to 235 km of pure-electric range under WLTC testing, sufficient for zero-emission daily school runs and city commutes.
• Cross-Country Endurance: When paired with its 70-litre fuel tank, the Rox 01 delivers a laboratory-tested total cruising range of 1,115 km (WLTC), while the newer Adamas pushes total touring capability up to 1,226 km.

True Overland Dimensions and the Party Piece: A Tailgate Kitchen & Built-In Toilet

The newer Rox Adamas stretches 5,298 mm in overall length, 1,985 mm in width, and stands 1,856 mm tall riding on a generous 3,010 mm wheelbase.

Underneath, height-adjustable adaptive air suspension allows ground clearance to rise up to a towering 272 mm, delivering an approach angle capable of clearing extreme ruts alongside an official 770 mm water-wading depth.

Where Rox vehicles truly diverge from conventional luxury SUVs is in their factory-integrated outdoor lifestyle hardware:

• Executive Seating: Available in both family seven-seat and luxury executive six-seat layouts, the latter featuring zero-gravity second-row captain armchairs with 12-way power adjustments, ventilation, and multi-point massage programs.
• Integrated Tailgate Kitchen & Camping Suite: The side-hinged rear door houses a modular outdoor kitchen setup complete with an induction cooktop, water dispenser, and prep station, flanked by an integrated 270-degree quick-deploy awning and up to 5.7 kW of Vehicle-to-Load (V2L) external discharge capability.
• The “Emergency Toilet”: Addressing long-distance outback emergencies, the vehicle offers a dedicated portable toilet system neatly integrated into the interior cabinetry, designed with odor-neutralizing absorbent cartridges.

The Wider Implication: RHD Unlocks ASEAN Expansion

Rox Motor has already established an active retail presence across the Middle East (with flagship stores in the UAE and Saudi Arabia), Central Asia, and Africa. However, Australia represents its maiden test ground for right-hand drive homologation.

With commercial partner negotiations and local distribution networks currently being finalized, Australian pricing is expected to sit in the premium territory—roughly matching its Middle Eastern pricing structure of around AU$100,000 to AU$120,000.

For the wider Asia-Pacific region, the confirmation of factory RHD production is the real headline. As Chinese new-energy brands look beyond domestic borders to fuel growth, an RHD portfolio allows Rox Motor to seamlessly eye ASEAN markets where off-road touring, commercial overlanding, and luxury multi-purpose vehicles continue to enjoy massive consumer demand.