7:32 am, April 29, 2023
Chinese electric car brand GWM Ora has revealed the second model in its assault on the UK market.
The new car – revealed for the first time in the UK at this weekend’s Fully Charged Live show at Farnborough – is a D-segment electric saloon car designed to rival the Tesla Model 3 and Hyundai’s recently launched Ioniq 6.
It’ll sit above the Volkswagen ID.3-sized Funky Cat that went on sale late last year and will go on sale at dealers early in 2024, but no prices have been revealed just yet.
GWM Ora also hasn’t published specifications details, but it’s likely the electric saloon will manage around 300 miles on a full charge and come with two- and four-wheel-drive options.
The new car has already been launched in China, where it is called ‘Lightning Cat’.
Ora UK wouldn’t confirm if the name would be used in Britain, but boss Toby Marshall told Car Dealer it has an obligation to use names GWM Ora uses in its home market.
The new model is revealed at the Fully Charged Live show
New dealers
Marshall previously told Car Dealer that Ora UK intends to appoint one dealer a month in 2023, taking the total network up to 16 by the end of the year.
At the car’s UK debut, Marshall said his plan to appoint one dealer a month was still on course, with three dealers set to be appointed by June.
The Chinese brand currently has Lookers, Wessex Garages, Peter Vardy, Charles Hurst, Chorley Group and City West Country on its books, and intends to have a range of large dealer groups and smaller operators making up its network.
It aims to have a ‘hub and spoke’ style of network, with ‘hubs’ offering sales and service, and more numerous ‘spokes’ offering aftersales.
During the year, GWM Ora UK will add other derivatives to its already launched Funky Cat.
The family-sized electric hatchback is currently only available as a high-spec ‘First Edition’, but it’s hoped a larger battery variant and other trim levels will bolster dealers’ sales.
Marshall also revealed it had sold 220 cars in quarter one.
