8:45 am, January 12, 2024
Chinese brand GWM Ora has begun 2024 with a bang after handing over its 1,000th Funky Cat in the UK.
The model, which became known as the ‘Ora 03’ earlier this month, has proved a hit with customers since arriving in this country in late 2022.
Now, as the brand’s dealer network continues to grow at a rapid rate, sales have passed the 1,000 mark.
The 1,000th car was handed over to a customer named Lawrence, who declined to give his surname. He bought his Funky Cat First Edition+ from City West Country in Exeter.
‘As a designer, it was the design and flair of the car that initially attracted me to Ora Funky Cat,’ he said
‘I was delighted this autumn when I learnt about the First Edition+ model as it had all of the features that I was looking for at an affordable price point, especially considering the 63kWh battery and the added features like the panoramic sunroof, heated seats and heated steering wheel.’
The 1,000th sale comes as GWM, which stands for Great Wall Motor, also posted strong growth across global markets, with 1,230,704 vehicles sold in 2023.
The figure represents a 15.29% rise compared with 2022, with the brand exceeding 1,000,000 units for the eighth year in a row.
Overseas market sales reached a record high with 316,018 units sold – a rise of 82.48%.
Toby Marshall, managing director of GWM Ora UK, said: ‘We are thrilled to kick off 2024 by celebrating a significant sales milestone, with 1,000 Ora Funky Cats now on UK roads.
‘Having launched just over one year ago with a single model variant in our line-up, we’re delighted with our progress so far.
‘In 2024, we will continue with our ambitious growth plans, scaling core retail infrastructure and introducing new products to the UK market.’
