2022 GWM Ora Funky Cat priced overseas as Australian launch of Good Cat electric car firms

GWM’s Ora brand is nearing a local launch after a trademark filing earlier this year, but pricing in the UK of its Funky Cat model could point to its positioning in the Australian market.

Launching at £30,495, the Funky Cat First Edition is positioned to steal sales away from the likes of the Nissan Leaf and Hyundai Ioniq Electric, which are priced in the UK from £26,995 and £33,050 respectively. Of note, all prices are quoted inclusive of the market's £1500 rebate.

With a rough conversion, the Funky Cat would wear a pricetag of $53,734 in Australia, but it is important to mention that overseas figures very seldom translate to local currency, and the initial pricing is for the high-spec First Edition.

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However, the Funky Cat First Edition is positioned right on top of rivals like the Leaf Tekna (the equivalent to the Australian-market Leaf grade) and Ioniq Electric, meaning a price of around $50,000 could be on the cards for when the Chinese EV touches down locally.

The Funky Cat’s electric motor produces 126kW/250Nm to the front wheels, which enables a 0-100km/h acceleration run in 8.3 seconds.

The First Edition is also equipped with a 48kWh battery that allows for up to 311km of driving range before need a recharge.

Charging includes a Type 2 port, with up to 11kW three-phase AC charging, while First Edition models are also equipped with 80kW DC fast charging with a CCS socket as standard.

GWM Ora is quoting a five-to-six hour 15-80 per cent recharge time at home using a 6.6kW outlet, while an 11kW public charger will cut to time to three-to-four hours.

With the full-fat DC charging, the GWM Ora Funky Cat needs just 40 minutes to recoup the same charge.

Measuring 4234mm long, 1825mm wide, 1603mm tall and with a 2650mm wheelbase, the GWM Ora Funky Cat is slightly smaller than the Nissan Leaf and outgoing Hyundai Ioniq Electric, but offers up 228 litres of storage volume in its boot. Folding the rear seats down will expand storage volume to 858L.

Standard equipment includes LED headlights, 18-inch alloy wheels, keyless entry, push-button start, dual-zone climate control, electronic front seat adjustment and leatherette seats – at least for the First Edition grade.

As an electric car, the Funky Cat’s tech credentials are on show with a 10.25-inch digital instrument screen and an identically sized multimedia touchscreen with Apple CarPlay/Android Auto support and a wireless smartphone charger.

As for safety, adaptive cruise control, a surround-view camera, lane keep assist, rear cross-traffic alert, rear parking sensors and blind-spot monitoring.

GWM Ora is also planning to bring in more variants of its Funky Cat, but where they sit compared to the First Edition is still unknown.

Great Wall Motor vice-president Yao Fei said: “The UK is a key launch market for the GWM ORA brand and I look forward to launching our first product, the ORA Funky Cat, later this year.

“As a new disruptive EV brand, we will offer customers high quality products, with a unique design that will bring a fresh new look to European streets,” he said.

Whether the GWM Ora model will be called Funky Cat in Australia is still unclear however, with a trademark filing indicating it might be christened Good Cat in local showrooms, while the car could simply be called Cat like it is in some parts of Europe.

Either way, the GWM Ora model will join a wave of affordable Chinese cars entering the Australian market alongside the BYD Atto 3 and MG ZS EV.