Affordable EV hatches and zero-emission city cars are virtually non-existent in the Australian market.
Now an electric hatch dubbed Ora Good Cat has been spotted in Melbourne. I had the chance to see it in person and draw comparisons between this and Australia’s best-selling electric vehicle, the Tesla Model 3.
Momentum for electric vehicles is starting to pick up in the SUV space with a few affordable models set to ship to thousands of Australians over the next few months.
EV hatch space, on the other hand, has been fairly limited with the exception of the veteran Nissan Leaf and a recent model Mini.
Funky GWM Ora Good Cat EV hatch in Melbourne
Now an EV registered in the Victorian era of Great Wall Motors (GWM) has been spotted in nature. Although a local nickname has yet to be confirmed, it is called Ora Good Cat in overseas markets and it may be heading our way in the near future.
Inspired by the front-facing VW Beetle, its styling is unlike any other EV on offer in Australia, which isn’t a bad thing at all.
After seeing it in person, I had the opportunity to compare Australia’s best-selling electric vehicle, the Tesla Model 3, and here are some of the differences.
Ora Cat is bigger than the Tesla Model 3
Seeing the Ora Good Cat next to the Tesla Model 3 provides a great opportunity to compare sizes. It is a bit larger than the Tesla Model 3. On other major dimensions such as width and length, it is smaller.
We know that Tesla has done quite a bit of work to make sure its electric vehicles are as efficient as possible, especially the Model 3 with one of the lowest drag coefficients of any mass-produced car.
The Ora Good Cat’s roof drops like the Tesla Model 3 but doesn’t drop as low at the rear as the sedan.
At the rear, there is also a single taillight in the frame of the rear window, which is also quite unique.
A sunroof was also seen in the speckled EV hatch, which is quite a nice sight in this segment. The sharkfin antenna is also noticeable and reminds me a bit of the BMW series antenna module on their roofs.
Local launch has not yet been announced
While the spotted EV hatch may be here for testing, it’s unclear when the local launch could take place.
In other right-hand drive markets where the Ora Good Cat was launched, notably in Thailand, its starting price for the 47.8 kWh version fell below AUD $40,000. This is for an EV that offers 310 km of WLTP range.
There is also another more expensive version with a larger battery that has over 400 km of WLTP range. DC fast charging rate for both can be done up to 60kW using the CCS2 port.
Overall, it’s good to see manufacturers starting to test and potentially deliver newer, more affordable EV models that will appeal to wider Australian drivers and offer much-needed EV variety.
Rice is the founder of Melbourne-based carloop. He is a mechanical engineer who worked across Australia building infrastructure for the first 7 years of his career before starting carloop. He is passionate about cars, especially electric vehicles, and wants to help reduce transport emissions in Australia. He currently drives a red Tesla Model 3.