The Great Wall subsidiary Ora has blossomed into a cult brand on the home market. Now the lifestyle manufacturer wants to stream into European hearts with friendly-looking cars. This compact, called the Ora Cat – will be the vanguard from 2022. With a Beetle look, an elegant appearance and affordable prices.
Anyone who likes the original Beetle or the New Beetle will also notice the Ora Cat. Round bulging headlights awaken the protective instinct, cuddly curves have something cute and the two-tone paintwork provides youthful oomph. Retro design at its best. The lights in the area of the rear window are interesting.
Somehow the car looks shorter than the 4.24 meters it is actually long. The aha experience follows in the interior: I would not have expected so much space! If the driver’s seat is adjusted to my height of 1.88 meters, I also sit excellently on the back seat. Great headroom, enough space for the knees and I don’t even have to over-tighten my legs.
A touch of Mercedes
The ambience in the interior is downright homely, which is how a small Mercedes could appear. Everything is lined with artificial leather, which feels good, partly stitched in a diamond shape, very elegant and also here retro. This also applies to the seats. One must not forget: We are sitting here in a very cheap China car.
The landscape-format 20.5-inch dual display that opens up in front of the driver is also reminiscent of Mercedes. The user has remote access to the vehicle via smartphone app, an interior camera recognizes the driver and automatically adjusts the seat and air conditioning settings based on his personal settings profile.
On the Cat 01, a 126 kW / 171 PS and 250 Newton meter electric motor drives the front wheels. The standard sprint takes 8.5 seconds, at 160 km / h it is governed as in the VW ID.3. The 63 kWh battery provides a WLTP range of 400 kilometers, and fast charging is possible with up to 50 kWh.
Of course there is high tech on board. All assistance systems are controlled by a central processor. The front camera and radar system allow intelligent driving aids such as a motorway assistant. Kamaras generate a 360-degree view around the vehicle. An automated reversing assistant records distances of up to 50 meters and automatically enters parking spaces – something that was previously only known from BMW.
It can also be sporty
In addition to the elegant version of the Ora Cat, there will also be a sporty GT version and a customer sport version of the electric compact car at the IAA (very close to BMW, by the way).
Austria on the waiting list
The Ora Cat is to be delivered in Europe in spring, initially only in five countries, including Germany. In view of the good first impression and the low entry price of around 30,000 euros, we are curious to see when Austria will appear on the list of conquests.
Great Wall – represented worldwide
Great Wall is represented with various brands in over 60 countries. According to Xinaghua Qiao, CEO of Great Wall, the presentation of Ora in Munich marks the beginning of a large-scale market entry for his group in Europe. As part of the offensive, Great Wall wants to build a production facility in Europe and introduce five Ora models by 2025.