Ora, one of the sub-brands of Chinese automotive giant Great Wall has unveiled yet more models of its upcoming “Cat” electric vehicles that are “inspired” by the original Volkswagen Beetle – or, as many are suggesting, are pretty much modelled on the famous Beetle.
Navigating news of Ora’s vehicle releases is made infinitely more difficult due to the double barriers of translating Chinese Mandarin-language websites and accessing Chinese websites from outside of China. As such, a lot of the available information can appear confusing, old, or duplicated.
What can be cobbled together, however, is that so far this year Ora has revealed its Volkswagen Beetle-inspired “Cat” electric vehicles, of which three appear to already be on sale in China – the Good Cat (above), the White Cat, and the Black Cat.
All three models look, to varying extents, like they have been inspired by the Volkswagen Beetle – with their compact bubble bodies, wide-eyed headlights, and diminutive size. The only noticeable departure is the fact that Ora’s Cats have four doors, whereas the traditional beetle is normally only ever seen with two.
Recent reports in Chinese Mandarin-language car websites have pointed to two more models that appear to be on the horizon, both of which really seem to be pushing the interpretive boundaries of “inspired by”.
The first is the Punk Cat which, from what is available on the internet, seems to have been revealed back in June.
The Punk Cat is seen here to the right of another Ora Cat, the Lightning Cat, but whereas the Lightning boasts the typical high-end European sloped body, the Punk Cat is designed with a retro feel in mind.
No specific information is available about the internals or mechanics of these new Cats, but the Ora iQ – another of the brand’s electric vehicles – boasts a single electric motor with 163-horsepower and 280Nm of torque, thanks to a 54kWh battery and has an NEDC recorded all-electric range of 400-kilometres.
Given the similar sizes between the Cats and the iQ, one can assume their power and range figures might be similar.
That being said, the Ora Good Cat GT will apparently have acceleration of 0-50km/h of 3.4-seconds and will deliver 250Nm of torque.
The second of the two Cats to be announced of late is the female-friendly Ballet Cat. Quoting directly from a translated press release, Ora is “the world’s car brand that loves women more” and, as such, the Ballet Cat is available in more subdued pastel colours – because, presumably, that is what women want?
A range of colours will reportedly be available, according to a number of Chinese media and automotive outletswhich have been able to acquire additional images not yet available from Ora’s website.
Understanding the Ora press releases and available information can be tricky, and so we might also be seeing additional Cat models such as the Little Wildcat, and even GT versions of their already available Cat models.
As for when we’ll be seeing these new Cat models? That’s anyone’s guess, except that Chinese media and automotive outlets expect it to be right around the corner.
Joshua S. Hill is a Melbourne-based journalist who has been writing about climate change, clean technology, and electric vehicles for over 15 years. He has been reporting on electric vehicles and clean technologies for Renew Economy and The Driven since 2012. His preferred mode of transport is his feet.