Great Wall Motor’s (GWM) Ora Brand has an interesting litter of Cats available in China. This litter includes the R1, also known as the Black Cat; the R2, also known as the White Cat; the R3, popularly known as the Good Cat but renamed the Funky Cat in the United Kingdom and other places; the Ballet Cat, that looks a bit like the old VW Beetle (slightly); as well as the more premium Lightning Cat.

The Ora Funky Cat is already available in the UK and is placed in a segment that has popular hatchbacks, such as SAIC’s MG 4 (BEV), the VW Golf (ICE), and the Ford Focus (ICE). These will soon be joined by the 60kWh BYD Dolphin. BYD elected to bring a larger version of the Dolphin to the UK that has double the battery capacity of the entry-version Dolphin that is offered in China featuring a 30kWh Blade Battery. A 45kWh version is also available in China.

Great Wall Motors has just announced that the larger and more premium Lightning Cat is coming to the UK and will be available from early next year. The Lightning Cat is yet to have an official name for the UK market. The Lightning Cat will join a segment that features some very popular BEVs, such as the Tesla Model 3 and also the Ioniq 6. These will soon be joined in the UK market by the BYD Seal. 

MG UK says that full pricing, specifications, and its official launch date will be communicated in the coming weeks and months. For now, all they say is that it’s likely the UK specifications will feature a range up to 300 miles WLTP, come in 4WD with dual motors, and produce around 400PS with 680NM of torque. This will equate to a 0–62 mph time of just over 4.4 seconds. The new GWM ORA model is also likely to offer premium features like a large glass panoramic roof, synthetic leather seats, and interior multi-colour ambient lights are set to come as standard

“The reveal of our next premium electric vehicle in the UK is a really momentous occasion for the brand. It signals the high level of commitment and investment from GWM ORA to establish itself as a leader in multiple segments across the UK. We always knew our first model, ORA Funky Cat, was just the start. There are lots more exciting things to come,” said Toby Marshall, Managing Director, GWM ORA UK.

“I am delighted we are making such good progress in the UK market with the ORA Funky Cat and the GWM ORA brand. The reveal of our next premium EV showcases that we are serious about our role in the UK market, offering customers fantastic quality products with high levels of specification,” Mr Yao, Vice President GWM ORA Europe.

In China, the Lightning Cat has a single-motor front-wheel drive option (maximum power of 150 kW and a peak torque of 340 Nm) and a dual-motor four-wheel drive option (combined power of 300 kW, a combined torque of 680 Nm). It also comes with the ORA-PILOT 3.0 driving assistance system with 28 sensors, 10 cameras, 5 millimeter-wave radars, 12 ultrasonic radars, and a 5G high-definition map as well as a cool sound system featuring 11 Harman Infinity speakers.

It’s great to see Great Wall Motors adding another one of its Cats to the UK. Hopefully the smaller and more affordable Black and White Cats will also get European versions. We need more affordable compact EVs in the UK and worldwide. The most popular car segments in the UK remain super-minis and small family (lower medium) models, which account for nearly 6 in 10 cars in service, at 11,620,116 and 9,214,039 units respectively. Examples of some of the popular cars in the UK are the Ford Fiesta, the Vauxhall Corsa, the Ford Focus, and the VW Golf.  We need more battery-electric options in these super-mini and small family model vehicle segments to cater to this market.

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• Source: https://cleantechnica.com/2023/05/01/the-ora-lightning-cat-is-coming-to-the-uk-in-q1-2024/