Chinese car maker GWM has announced plans to release multiple new EV models in the next six months, starting with the Ora 5 electric SUV which it says has received over 4,000 expressions of interest since being unveiled at the Melbourne Motor Show in April.
Andrew Gao, the head of GWM Australia, says Australia is now one of the parent company’s top three strategic international markets, and it has already become one of the top 10 brands. “We’re only at the beginning of our journey in Australia, and we truly believe the best is yet to come,” he said in a statement.
The new Ora 5 SUV, which saw first customer deliveries in June, starts at a very attractive price of $33,990 drive-away, and the company plans to bring new models to the local market later this year, including a new Ora 5 electric hatch as well as another as yet unnamed model to help the brand capture the rapidly growing EV market in Australia.
GWM’s Haval sub-brand will also introduce a BEV version of the all-new Jolion Max mid-size SUV, which will be positioned between the brand’s Jolion and H6 lineup.
GWM also plans to bring its luxury sub-brand, Wey, to the market, delivering large SUV and peoplemover models by the end of 2026. These models will offer some of the most advanced tech from the large manufacturer and will form part of the company’s premium vehicle strategy in the Australian market.
As of June, the brand is on track to achieve over 60,000 sales in 2026, which could help it get into the top 6 brands, and it aims to be in the top 5 by 2027 and the top 3 by 2030, which will require at least a 50 per cent increase in sales.
The Ora 5 is a bigger car than the original Ora EV, which attracted some interest but was no0t a stop seller. The larger SUV is expected will be powered by a 150 kW front-mounted motor which is fed by a 58.3 kWh LFP battery, and will most up to 430 km of WLTP range, making it quite competitive with other small SUV offerings and even outperforming the popular BYD Atto 2, which has 345 km of WLTP range.
DC fast charging is rated at up to 120 kW on this model, which can charge the battery from 30-80% in around 20 minutes.
The Ora 5 also includes vehicle-to-load (V2L) capability, allowing it to supply up to 6 kW of external power.
The GWM Ora 5 comes with a 7-year/unlimited-kilometre vehicle warranty and an 8-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty on the high-voltage battery pack. The GWM brand now has over 120 dealers across the country, helping this car reach more buyers than the original Ora.
See The Driven’s detailed EV sales data here: Australian electric vehicle sales by month in 2026; by model and by brand.
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