Great Wall Motors has already earned a good track record with its doughty no-nonsense utes, so the all-electric city hatchback, namely the 2023 GWM Ora, is something of a new venture.  Given the practicality of the other GWM offerings, I’m sure that the Ora is going to be a goodie.  Fun fact: overseas, the Ora is known as the Ora Funky Cat or the Ora Good Cat (Chinese: HaoMao). I’m not sure if I’m disappointed or relieved that it doesn’t wear that badge in Australia…  The Ora marque has been popular in the Asian market and is now making its Australian debut.  So maybe we’ll end up with some of the other Ora possibilities, such as the quirkily named Lightning Cat and Punk Cat. However, let’s see what we get with the 2023 GWM Ora itself.

Looks-wise, this five-door hatchback is reminiscent of a VW Beetle – and the curving roofline and the big goggle-eyed headlights at the front make it look like an actual insect beetle, especially in the Aurora Green metallic paint option.  The headlights in question are powerful LED lights like you’d expect in an electric vehicle (with automatic dipping and see-me-home function), and its status as an EV also means that it’s lacking the radiator grille needed in ICE vehicles for cooling purposes.  This smooth nose makes the little 5-door hatch look oddly face-like and rather charming in a way (possibly there’s a hint of Hello Kitty about it).  It sits nicely on 18-inch alloy wheels and has a range of colours available, including some with a contrasting roof. 

You’ll see the 2023 GWM Ora labelled as the Standard Range, Extended Range, GT, Ultra, which refer to the battery size and range, similar to all the different engine sizes in traditional ICE vehicles.  In the Standard Range variant, you’ll find electric motor with a 48 kWh battery with a 310 km driving range.  In all the other variants, the battery has 63 kWh of capacity, although they’ve managed to tweak things so that different ranges are possible: The Extended Range and Ultra have a range of 420 km, and the GT has a driving range of 400 km (under ideal conditions, of course – you know how these specs work).  Charging is accomplished with a CCS2 type of charger (Type 2 + CCS for fast charging), with AC charging at 11 kW from 10% to 80% taking 5.5 hours in the Standard variant and 6.5 hours in all the others, whereas DC fast charging at 80 kW from 10% to 80% takes 41 mins in the Standard but 50 minutes in the GT, Ultra and Extended Range.  All electric motors have similar performance in terms of acceleration, with the 0–100 km/h sprint taking 8.4 seconds in the Standard (the fastest of the lineup) and the others clocking up a time of 8.5 seconds.  The 2023 GWM Ora has a front wheel drivetrain coupled to the standard reduction gear seen in electrical motors.

Step inside this little hatchback (the 2023 GWM Ora is a shade shorter than I am at 1603 mm) and you’ll find nicely appointed two-toned leather-look seats with diamond stitching for all five occupants; in fact, two-toned seems to be the name of the game in the styling department, which makes for a refreshing change from the standards seen in other vehicles.  In fact, the two-coloured theme is a nod to a saying that gave it the overseas name of Ora Good Cat: “It doesn’t matter if it’s white cat or a black cat; if it catches mice, it’s a good cat.”  The dashboard and centre console area are simple and uncluttered, in line with the Great Wall ethos, and the interior feels surprisingly roomy for a small city car (the boot, however, is a tad on the small side, so that’s how they’ve managed to achieve this).  The display panel is well laid out, with the information the driver needs to know presented nicely on the digital display.  You won’t see the array of airbags, but there are plenty tucked away for emergencies. 

To ensure that emergencies don’t happen, the 2023 GWM Ora is fitted with ABS brakes with brake assistance, EBD and, of course, regenerative braking.  Unfortunately, traction control isn’t available, so I guess that the manufacturers have assumed that the Ora will be used as a city car that doesn’t have to corner at high speeds where this function becomes necessary.  However, it does have a proper electronic stability control package and plenty of other driver aids – many more than what was found in some of Great Wall’s back-to-basics utes.  Specifically, it boasts a number of collision warnings (frontal, rear and vulnerable road user), collision avoidance and mitigation ability (frontal, rear and vulnerable road user), blind spot assistance, warnings for driver fatigue and distraction, lane departure warning, lane keeping assistance, active cruise control, and cameras to the front, rear and side. Road sign recognition with automatic speed limiting also comes in handy, as does the hill hold and rollover stability system.

For everyday driving, your creature comforts are taken care of with single-zone climate control (it’s not a big car, after all), a six-speaker audio system and a good selection of cupholders. Two USB charging/connection points are available, and the 2023 GWM Ora is compatible with the standard car apps (Apple Car Play and Android Auto).  

That’s what you’ll find as a standard on all versions of the 2023 GWM Ora. However, you may want some more.  Of the three non-standard variants, the GT and the Ultra are the ones with a bit of fun added (the Extended Range is more or less the Standard Range but with a bigger battery).  They’ve got automatic hands-free tailgate closing capacity, and the GT has a sporty body kit (side skirts and aprons). The brake callipers have been coloured, and the seats for the driver and front passenger are ventilated with (oh glory!) massaging function.  The GT also adds in launch control as a cool driver aid. 

The 2023 GWM Ora is most definitely a little city car with its fair share of charm and style.  If you’re looking for a reasonably priced EV to use as a general runabout or second car (it would make a great shopping basket car), it could very well be up your street.

The current 2023 GWM Ora models include:

• 2023 GWM Ora Standard Range
• 2023 GWM Ora Extended Range
• 2023 GWM Ora GT
• 2023 GWM Ora Ultra

For any more information on the new 2023 GWM Ora or, for that matter, any other new car, contact one of our friendly consultants on 1300 303 181.  If you’d like some fleet discount pricing (yes even for private buyers!), we can submit vehicle quote requests out to our national network of GWM dealers and come back with pricing within 24 hours. Private Fleet – car buying made easy!