Leapmotor B05 vs GWM ORA

What's the difference?

Launching a new Chinese car company is easy, right? You just introduce an all-new brand, make the cars affordable and the sales just roll in. Right?

No, not right. Australians may be more open-minded to new brands than ever before, but we are still discerning and aren’t just suckered in by a cheap price tag.

Leapmotor has learnt this lesson already, with its first model, the C10 electric mid-size SUV suffering poor critical reviews thanks to its disappointing drive and over-active safety systems. As a result it has struggled to make a real impact in the sales race.

The subsequent B10 small SUV was an improvement and now the brand is launching its first hatchback, the B05. It promises to be something different, because it’s the first Leapmotor model to be shaped for the European market and not China.

That’s because Leapmotor International is actually a joint-venture between Chinese carmaker Leapmotor and US-Euro juggernaut, Stellantis (the conglomerate that includes Alfa Romeo, Fiat, Peugeot, Opel, Jeep and more).

So the B05 is, in theory, the best of both worlds - fine-tuned in Italy and built in China. Which should mean it drives like a European car but doesn’t carry a European car price.

But does it live up to these lofty ambitions? Read on to find out.

When the GWM Ora showed up in Australia last year, it seemed to rely somewhat on its divisive cutesy looks and sub-$40K entry price to draw attention - and to some extent it worked.

Convincing Australians to buy an electric car is hard enough for any car company, let alone one that doesn’t have the brand cachet of Tesla or the traditional companies.

But an entry price under $40,000 doesn’t apply here, this is the GWM Ora GT: the top of the range for the small electric car.

It’s just had a massive price cut, but is it worth paying more than $10,000 over the price of a base Ora for some extra goodies when simplicity and fun styling was the original selling point?