When the pictures of a Chinese folk car copy spread on social media, everyone thought it would be discontinued by Volkswagen. ORA "Punk Cat" was a 4-door people's car with an electric motor. Now it is put into production.
Great Wall Motors
GWM is not just anyone in the Chinese automotive industry. Nor is Volkswagen. I do not know what negotiations have been going on behind the scenes, but the parties have probably reached an agreement. ORA, which is owned by Great Wall Motors, has anyway planned to export 6000 cars to Germany during 2023. First of all, it is about a nicer version, called "Funky Cat" - or "Good Cat" on the Chinese market. The model appears as a compact car the size of the Volkswagen ID.3.
Coming to Norway too
An agreement has been entered into for the export of ORA cars to both Sweden and Norway (should only be missing). Here at home, Bilia will be responsible for import and distribution. The first model is the ORA Funky Cat – or 300 Pro and 400 Pro+ as they will be called here. ORA also has a larger version in its model range, called ORA Lightning Cat. This model is strongly inspired by Porsche. One can sense both the Panamera and the Macan. Judging by the pictures, it looks amazing and also has interesting specifications and equipment. But - frankly - it takes balls to drive around in what looks like a Porsche replica in Porsche country Norway.
Retro design and pastel colours
In terms of size, the ORA 300 Pro is in the middle between the Opel Corsa-e and the Nissan Leaf. This is a size class that appeals to young buyers – and perhaps especially women. The Chinese marketing emphasizes the feminine aspects of the model, which are made visible in the form of retro design and warm pastel colours. Do not misunderstand. The cars are second to none in terms of technology, even if the design is characterized by 1960. Had Volkswagen launched its ID.3 in the same design, I am sure it could have taken the market by storm.
Inspired by Volkswagen
All the models from ORA - "Funky Cat" (300 Pro), "Ballet Cat" (car replica) and "Lightning Cat" (Porsche replica) are inspired by Ferdinand Porsche. The coolest model is undoubtedly the "Ballet Cat" - previously launched as the "Punk Cat". It looks like Volkswagen's "bubble" might have looked today, if it had still been in production. The online magazine Jalopnik shows Volkswagens own sketches on what a 4-door public van could look like, and there is little doubt that these must have been an inspiration for ORA.
The woman's car?
ORA Ballet Cat - or whatever it will eventually be called in Norway - has some interesting features especially adapted to women. One of the functions that may come in the other models as well is "Guardian Mode", which is a discreet button under the driver's seat that women (and probably men too) can press to call for help if they feel threatened. Other functions that are not so easily marketed in Norway are "Lady Driving Mode", which applies adaptive cruise with an extra good distance to the car in front - and activates a selfie camera (!) where the driver can see himself while driving. The function plays on the fact that women are worse drivers than men, which is considered controversial even among the Chinese. Finally, let me mention that the ORA Ballet Cat is marketed with a feature called "Warm Man Mode" (directly translated from Chinese) which, according to ORA, should reduce the discomfort of menstruation. At the push of a button, the steering wheel, lower back and seat are heated.
ORA 300 Pro or "Funky Cat"?
When Chinese come up with Western names, things can go wrong, horribly wrong. But the model's original name, "Funky Cat", I think is absolutely fantastic. But on ORA's websites it is now sold ORA 300 Pro that Euler Good Cat named after the physicist leonhard euler. I suspect that Chinese marketers are trying to build a brand similar to Tesla. The model designation "Good Cat" also works well to my ears. "Funky Cat" sounds cooler, although retirees may prefer a more conservative name. In Germany, the importer has for the time being chosen to use the model's original name "Funky Cat", which suits the car's retro style well. The Norwegian importer has chosen to call the model "300 Pro" and "400 Pro+", probably to create associations with the Volkswagen ID.3 Pro. A pity, because the Chinese "cat" has something about it that the electric cars from Volkswagen lack - namely identity.
- Identity taken from Volkswagen.
Facts ORA «Funky Cat»
Length, width, height: 424 x 183 x 160 cm
The cars can be delivered with a small or large battery pack.
Small battery pack (ORA 300 Pro): 49 kwh, 300 km (WLTP), 145 HP
Large battery pack (ORA 400 Pro+): 63 kwh, 400 km (WLTP), 171 HP
0-100: 8,3 seconds (large battery pack)
Top speed: 160 km/h (large battery pack)
Tested by EuroNCAP in 2022 with 5/5 stars
Protection for adults: 92%
Protection for children: 83%
Report (PDF format): download
Sources
ORA EV international pages
ORA Norwegian pages
Updated: ORA Funky Cat in Norway
As of 05.04.2023/7/400, there were 171 ORA Funky Cat registered in Norway. One of these cars is depicted in the photos above. It is a model to be called ORA 63 Pro+. It has 400 HP, a XNUMX kwh battery and a range of XNUMX km.
See
