Chinese car brand GWM has slashed the price of its Ora electric hatchback by more than 10 per cent, pulling the on-road price down to $35,990 and making it the lowest cost EV in Australia.
The discount was announced on Thursday by GWM on the same day that new monthly data showed just 96 sales for the Ora in the month of March, and 282 for the year to date, well behind its competitors in the sub-$40,000 market the BYD Dolphin (213 sales in March) and the MG4 (352 sales in March).
The GWM Ora is a city car with a stated range of 310 kms, and the company says the price cut – which makes a previously advised temporary discount permanent – has been made possible by favourable exchange rates.
The scope of the price cuts is even more significant because the previously flagged price of $39,990 was before on road costs, and the new price of $35,990 is after on road costs, meaning that the actual price cut is more than $6,000.
The Extended Range version of the Ora, which has a range of 420 kms, been reduced to $40,990 drive-away, down from $45,990 before on-roads. The on-road price of the higher specced Ultra and GT variants have also been reduced, to $43,990 and $46,990 respectively.
For a full review of the EV models and variants available below $50,000 in Australia, please read Bryce Gaton’s latest summary:Â Australian EV market review: What you can buy for less than $50,000. Please note that article was published before the GWM latest announcement, and will be updated.
Giles Parkinson is founder and editor of The Driven, and also edits and founded the Renew Economy and One Step Off The Grid web sites. He has been a journalist for nearly 40 years, is a former business and deputy editor of the Australian Financial Review, and owns a Tesla Model 3.