Home Car News GWM Ora Next Cat to rival Hyundai Ioniq 6

GWM Ora Next Cat to rival Hyundai Ioniq 6

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Chinese EV brand owned by GWM reveals electric sedan with all-wheel drive and 700km range on a single charge.

Chinese electric brand Ora will begin selling a sedan rival to the Tesla Model 3 and Hyundai Ioniq 6 in the right-hand drive next year, the company has said. Although not confirmed for Australia yet, the Ora Good Cat hatchback is destined to launch here next year and it is likely the sedan will follow.

The car was previewed at the Paris motor show on Monday by the near-production-ready Next Cat concept, which will be renamed by the time it goes on sale.

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Codenamed EC24, the new car will have two battery sizes with the larger of the two capable of driving 700km on a single charge based on China’s official range tests, Ora’s European head Fei Yao told Automotive Daily Network partner Autocar at the show.

The new sedan sits beside the Funky Cat compact hatchback. “The Funky Cat is the volume car and the Next Cat will be the flagship that can powerfully upgrade the brand position and image for Ora,” said Yao.

The concept comes with two electric motors to give it all-wheel-drive capability and a 0-100km/h time of 4.3sec. Equipment includes a 12.3-inch central touchscreen, remote control via the Ora app, face ID opening and starting, and a panoramic sunroof.

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Ora is part of the Great Wall group, which is also developing the new electric Mini along with BMW.

The Funky Cat, which is pitched against electric cars like the Nissan Leaf and MG 4, will cost from around $55,000 in Europe (Australian pricing and specifications are yet to be confirmed) and comes with a 48kWh battery for a range of 310km.

The brand also showed a GT variant of the Funky Cat at Paris that it said indicated a future trim level, possibly linked to larger battery sizes planned for later in its cycle.

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Ora will introduce an compact electric SUV in 2024, too, said Yao. The brand plans to launch one model a year as it seeks to expand its footprint. Small cars will also follow. “HQ has already received our requirements for the small SUV and a small car and they are working on it,” said Yao.

GWM also showed off the Coffee 01 plug-in hybrid SUV from its premium Wey brand at the Paris show, but there are no plans to launch this in Australia.

Nick Gibbs