GWM’s Ora electric hatchback looks like nothing else on the market, and that could be the reason sales have been slow.
Despite being the second-cheapest electric vehicle (EV) on the market – starting at $35,990 drive-away, it’s presently priced just $1000 higher than an MG ZS EV Excite – the Ora is being outsold by other budget battery-powered vehicles.
“Sales performance is not 100 per cent up to our expectations,” GWM Australia and New Zealand managing director Charles Zhao told CarExpert.
“We are getting various [pieces of] feedback from customers, dealers.
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“There are some people who really like the car, and we are getting very good reviews from the media. The people who purchase the car, they like the car very much.
“There are some different comments like the design of the vehicle is not to everybody’s taste.
“I believe mainly the design, not everybody likes it.”
To the end of August, GWM has sold 781 Oras in Australia. That puts it behind the pricier BYD Dolphin (1639 sales) and MG 4 (3387 sales).
In the first half of this year, the Ora was the 16th best-selling EV, outsold by the likes of the MG ZS EV, Volvo EX30 and Kia EV6, if ahead of small hatches like the Cupra Born and Nissan Leaf.
The Ora, which launched here in 2023, is known in other markets as the Good Cat or Funky Cat and comes from Great Wall Motor’s Ora spinoff brand.
Great Wall Motor has multiple brands, including Tank, which focuses on more premium, rugged off-roaders, and Haval, which focuses on more mainstream SUVs.
However, the company sells all its vehicles under the overarching GWM brand here. That means vehicles like the blocky Tank 300 and the bubbly Ora wear the same badge, which creates some interesting contrasts in local showrooms.
For now, GWM sells just one Ora vehicle in Australia. In China, however, it has the Lightning Cat (aka Ora Sport or Ora 07) sedan, as well as the Volkswagen Beetle-inspired Ballet Cat.
Ora Sport
The Ora Sport, which GWM is weighing for a local introduction, has similarly curvaceous styling to the Ora hatch… which theoretically could see it face the same response from buyers.
GWM brought an example of the sedan, which is now being produced in right-hand drive, to Australia to show both media and dealers.
“Based on all this feedback, we may decide when or whether we are going to launch this car,” said Mr Zhao.
While GWM has confirmed various vehicle launches for 2025, it has yet to lock in the Ora Sport.
Mecha Dragon 
Ballet Cat
Great Wall Motor doesn’t offer any EVs across its other brands, which leaves Ora as the single source for solely battery-powered models for GWM Australia.
Notably, Ora doesn’t yet offer any electric SUVs despite the popularity of vehicles such as the Tesla Model Y.
While most Ora models have cutesy, curvaceous styling, the brand does offer the wild Mecha Dragon sedan in China.
Originally intended for yet another brand, this dual-motor all-wheel drive system features angular, aggressive styling. Right-hand drive production has yet to be announced.
MORE: Everything GWM Ora
