Last fall, the Chinese company Great Wall made its third attempt to enter the European market, showed at the IAA 2021 in Munich, its latest models under the Wey and Ora brands. This shot was not empty: preparations for the start of sales are in full swing, and the UK will be the first market. A distributor has already started working here, which back in April organized a local show of Chinese cars and is waiting for the start of deliveries.
The first model in the UK market will be the Ora Funky Cat electric hatchback, which debuted in China two years ago under the name Ora Good Cat (or Ora Haomao). The five-door 4235 mm long stands out for its retro design, and the British have allegedly already issued six thousand preliminary purchase orders! So far, only one version of the Cat is intended for Europe, which combines the most powerful electric motor (171 hp) and a basic battery with a capacity of 48 kWh. In native China, such a battery is installed only on the 143 hp version, and more productive hatchbacks have a 59-kilowatt battery.
The declared range on a single charge is 311 km according to the WLTP cycle. The maximum speed is 160 km / h, and the acceleration time to “hundreds” is 8.3 seconds, although the Chinese version with a heavier battery does this exercise in 6.9 seconds. The Ora Funky Cat has a 6.6kW single-phase AC charger and an 11kW three-phase charger, while the DC charger is rated at 80kW.
Great Wall relies on online sales: the dealer network will be modest and will mainly deal with the issuance of ordered cars, that is, large and beautiful showrooms are not planned. Ora Funky Cat electric vehicles will go on sale in the fall, with first edition cars in the top-of-the-line First Edition, which includes leather upholstery, power front seats, dual-zone climate control, adaptive cruise control, all-round cameras and more. The price is £30,500. For comparison: for a Volkswagen ID.3 in the basic configuration in England, they ask for 35,800 pounds. In 2023, simpler versions of the Chinese “Cat” will enter the market. Then Ora will settle down in continental Europe.