In May this year, Haval SA gave the country its first tease of the GWM Ora at the NAMPO Harvest Day agricultural exhibition. With the tease came the price range for the Ora – also known as the ‘Good Cat’ or ‘Funky Cat’ in other markets – which secured it the title of the country’s cheapest full-sized fully-electric vehicle. That title was previously held by the Mini Cooper SE.
The British 3-door hatchback offers a claimed range of 215km with a R783,500 starting price. The local 5-door GWM Ora lineup consists of four derivatives, starting with the ORA 03 300 Super Luxury. It offers a claimed range of 310km from its 48kWh battery and tips the scales at R686,950. That’s… a sizeable difference.
Understandably, the 03 Super Lux can’t quite match the Mini’s peak outputs of 135kW/270Nm, only managing 105kW/210Nm. Meaning, in a 0-100km/h sprint, the Mini’s 7.3 seconds trumps the Ora 03’s 8.5 seconds.
GWM brings Ora luxury to SA
The Ora 03 400 Super Luxury features the same peak outputs as the 03 Super Lux but bumps its claimed range up to 420km, thanks to its larger 63kWh battery pack. Its R775,950 asking price is closer to the Mini’s while boasting close to double the range.
If you’re looking for a little more power, the Ora 03 400 Ultra Luxury swaps out the standard powertrain for a beefier affair, capable of 126kW/250Nm peak power outputs. It also features a 63kWh battery that offers the same 420km range on a single charge.
The flagship ORA 03 400 GT Ultra Luxury will require R835,950 from buyers. It seems that ‘GT’ in the name is mostly for show. It features the same 126kW/250Nm powertrain and 63kWh battery pack as the 400 Ultra Lux, although with a slightly reduced range, down to 400km. The extra money you’re spending on those two letters can be seen in the “unique” 18in alloy wheels, bumpers, and grille. You also get red brake callipers and a panoramic sunroof.
Watch: Mini Cooper SE electric – Review by Toby Shapshak
Standard niceties across the Ora 03 range include two 10.25in displays for the digital instrument cluster and infotainment system, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto support, a wireless smartphone charger, powered seats for the driver and front passenger, adaptive cruise control, and rear parking sensors.
GWM apparently takes safety rather seriously, judging from the length of the safety features list. You can peruse that here.
As for charging these EVs, that’ll depend on a few things. The 300 Super Lux and its 48kWh battery is said to take 50 minutes to get from 10% to 89% at one of the 64kW DC fast chargers dotted around the country. The ‘400’ Ora models will only take 10 minutes longer.
If you only have access to a much slower 11kW AC charger, the 300 Super Lux will need 5.5 hours for a full charge. Expect that to take even longer if you opt for charging it at home with the 7kW wallbox charger included with your purchase.
