Great Wall Motors (GWM) has underlined its intention to introduce more electric models – likely including a new battery electric sedan – to Australia in a recent sales report.
The report, published to GWM’s global website on Monday, came shortly ahead of a worldwide announcement on Tuesday of a “huge expansion” into the “new energy vehicles” arena.
The Asia-specific term, otherwise known as NEVs, refers to battery electric vehicles as well as plug-in hybrids and non-pluggable hybrids.
The GWM has plans to introduce 50 NEVs by 2025, in a strategy it has dubbed ‘Revolution is On.’ And, it wants to encourage the use of renewable, clean energy sources “wherever possible” by rolling out solar-powered charging stations.
Included in the ‘Revolution is On’ announcement are details of a new electric sedan from GWM brand Ora. Known as the “Next Ora Cat,” the sporty-looking sedan is GWM’s answer to the BYD Seal, though pitting it as a Tesla Model 3 may be a long bow to draw – more below.
Success with electrification in Australia
The Chinese carmaker has already done well appealing to drivers with its hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) offerings. The successful introduction of the Haval H6 medium-sized SUV and its stablemate, the Jolion small SUV, have proven encouraging for the brand.
Both are available as hybrids. In its latest sales report, GWM noted that one in three of 1,500 sales of its Haval H6 were hybrids in September, while the Jolion HEV accounted for more than 30% of its 1,300 sales.
It appears that GWM will soon take the next step towards introducing fully electric models to Australia.
“After years of careful planning and hard work in Australia, GWM has witnessed a new round of upsurge in sales under the strong impetus of new energy models,” the company said in a press release on Monday.
Then it said, “GWM has actively embraced electrification, and is ready and determined to transform into new energy in an all-round way in the Australian market.”
“In the future, GWM will continue to optimize its product lineups in the Australian market, bringing more new energy and intelligent products to Australian users.”
Ora Good Cat electric hatch could be next on cards
GWM has not yet committed specific dates for a battery electric launch in Australia. However, The Driven spotted the Ora Good Cat in Melbourne recently and was able to compare its size to the Tesla Model 3.
A spokesperson for GWM in Australia confirmed to The Driven at the time that the vehicle is in Australia for ” for local testing and validation purposes.”
However, they also said: “This forms part of our ongoing study into the launch of Ora in Australia although no final decision on timing has yet been made.”
The new sales report from GWM, and suggests there will soon be movement in this space. The Driven has contacted GWM Australia for an update but did not receive an answer before publication of this article. Stay tuned.
Ora Next Cat electric sedan specs revealed
However, it is likely it will not only be the Ora Good Cat hatch that makes it to Australia.
Highlighting its commitment to electrification, GWM displayed three NEVs to the crowd at the Paris auto show. These include one new battery electric vehicle from Ora, and two PHEVs from Wey.
Whilst Wey is pitted at GWM’s domestic market, the Next Ora Cat is a likely candidate for GWM’s expansion in Australia.
And it’s a nice looking car, both inside and out.
The sleek four door promises some pretty powerful specs to match. A dual motor configuration delivers 300kW power, and 680Nm torque. This, GWM says, will allow acceleration from 0-100km/hr in a not-too-shabby 4.3 seconds and a top speed of 180km/hr.
However, its big 83.5kWh battery will offer just 430km range and weighs the car in at 2.2 tonnes. Being a Chinese brand, this range is likely based on the CLTC rating which could mean a real world range of around 300km. With an average energy efficiency of 20.5kWh/100km, it is not the lightest of feet on the road.
As for charging, a top DC charge rate of 80kW will allow it to top up from 0-80% in 55 minutes. On an AC charger it has an 11kW maximum charge rat. The time is not specified by the company, but expect around 7.5 hours on a wall charger.
Other highlights include:
- 10.25 inch digital instrument cluster
- 12.3 inch central screen
- 11-speaker immersive sound system
- 360° view cameras
- EE function Sensorless Entry and Sensorless Quick Start
- Remote control via GWM ORA App
- Face ID
- Full-scene voice interaction
- Integrated Super Sport button on the steering wheel
- Kick-activated power tailgate
Light Automatic near-far light switch function - AC Dual temperature zone
- Frameless doors
- Smart inductive tailgate
- Front seats with heating/ventilation and massage function
- 19” high performance tires
- Panoramic sunroof
- Electric rear trunk spoiler
Bridie Schmidt is associate editor for The Driven, sister site of Renew Economy. She has been writing about electric vehicles since 2018, and has a keen interest in the role that zero-emissions transport has to play in sustainability. She has participated in podcasts such as Download This Show with Marc Fennell and Shirtloads of Science with Karl Kruszelnicki and is co-organiser of the Northern Rivers Electric Vehicle Forum. Bridie also owns a Tesla Model Y and has it available for hire on evee.com.au.