Earlier this year, The Driven spotted a GWM Ora Lightning Cat in Melbourne. That example was a left-hand drive test version of the electric sedan that was bought into Australia for preliminary testing.
Now, a second Ora Lightning Cat has been spotted in Victoria. This time around, it’s a blue sedan instead of the pink one seen earlier and was discovered by an EV fan, Bee JC, on Facebook.
It appears to confirm that GWM – having launched a sub-$40,000 electric hatchback known as the Ora, is now poised to expand its range in Australia with a second model, the Ora Lightning Cat electric sedan
The images taken by Bee JC show a frontal side view of the vehicle as well as the curvy round tail lights from the rear.
This particular vehicle also appears to be here for testing given the Victorian number plates do not provide any further information on this car.
The sleek look did catch the eye of a few members of the EV community, who were quite intrigued by the sighting.
Some even shared that they were waiting for the first few to arrive at GWM dealerships. “Been waiting for them to arrive at their showroom for a good look. Have they arrived yet?” one patient observer of the car asked.
Others commented on its look which makes it quite easy to spot in the wild. “Looks fantastic”, another fan said.
In recent months, GWM has announced that the model will be hitting UK’s right-hand-drive market in early 2024, with the local website stating:
“This exciting new model is set to launch in Q1 2024, with specs, pricing and official name all due to be confirmed in the coming weeks and months. For now, here’s a sneak peek …”.
It’s not the first time, GWM has launched a car in the UK that’s then followed into the Australian market.
The Ora (previously known as Ora Cat) electric hatchback was launched in the UK market in 2022 and then arrived in Australia in Q2 this year.
Last month, GWM slashed prices of Ora below $40,000. This was due to a fall in battery costs, according to the brand, but also likely a sign of the intense competition that is emerging in the sub $40,000 price space for EVs. Both BYD and MG have pitched models in that price range.
As of the end of June, GWM had sold 65 Ora units in the local market with those numbers likely to increase in the coming months with the lowering of its price.
The sighting of the new Ora Lightning Cat is a positive sign that more is to come under the GWM Ora model range. It’s likely to launch in 2024 after the launch in the UK. More models will appeal to a broader audience, helping more drivers make the switch to EVs.
Riz is the founder of carloop based in Melbourne, specialising in Australian EV data, insight reports and trends. He is a mechanical engineer who spent the first 7 years of his career building transport infrastructure before starting carloop. He has a passion for cars, particularly EVs and wants to help reduce transport emissions in Australia. He currently drives a red Tesla Model 3.