PETALING: It's no secret that the Great Wall Motor (GWM) Ora 07 would eventually debut in Malaysia following the arrival of the Ora Good Cat in 2022.
That time is near as GWM Malaysia announced today that the Ora 07 would launch in Malaysia in the first quarter of 2024.
Note that GWM began renaming the two Ora models last year specially for the European market in a move to rationalise its branding. The Ora 07 was previously known as Ora Lightning Cat (the name still sticks in China but confusingly enough, it was marketed as Ora Grand Cat in the Asean region).
The Good Cat was renamed as Ora 03 but is still sold in Malaysia as the Good Cat.
As Ora's first premium electric coupe with four doors and five seats, the Ora 07 is expected to be offered in two versions: a single front-mounted electric motor (640km range) and a dual electric motor (four-wheel drive, 550km range). Both use the same 83.5 kWh ternary lithium-ion battery.
The ranges quoted by GWM is based on the outdated and retired NEDC standard. A more realistic figure that uses the current WLTP cycle would lob off 20% to give a range estimate of 512km and 440km for the respective single motor and dual motor variants.
The B-segment electric car with the Porsche Panamera vibes will come with standard features such as an adaptive electric wing and a frameless window design.
For indication of prices, one only has to look to Thailand where GWM is already selling the Ora 07 since late last year. Thailand in fact is the first export market for the Ora 07, and GWM plans to soon sell it in Europe and Latin America as well.
The Long Range variant (single motor) of the Ora 07 is priced at 1.3 million baht (RM173,000), while the Performance variant (dual motors) is going for 1.5 million baht (RM199,000), putting the Chinese model in contention with the Tesla Model 3.
"The Malaysian market holds tremendous potential, and we believe Ora 07 will attract customers seeking uniqueness," said GWM Malaysia managing director Cui Anqi.
