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GWM will soon field a rival to popular small electric SUVs with the Ora 5, which scales the Ora hatchback's styling up into a higher-riding format to boost slow sales.
Electric Cars
GWM's Ora electric-car brand has revealed its first SUV, the Ora 5 – a small-to-mid-size BYD Atto 3 and MG S5 EV competitor that is earmarked for global markets, likely to include Australia and Europe.
It ditches the cat-themed naming previously used overseas – which spawned badges such as Funky Cat, Lightning Cat and Ballet Cat – for a simple alphanumeric name due to be adopted globally.
Australian plans are yet to be disclosed, but GWM Australia chief operating officer John Kett told Drive earlier this year the "first evolution" of the expansion of the Ora brand in Australia would be seen "in Q1 [January to March] next year".
"If you think about where we're represented with Ora right now, I was going to say probably there's definitely segments that we would like to be in with BEVs [electric vehicles] that we'll have a look at," GWM Australia head of marketing Steve Maciver told Drive in July.
The eponymous GWM Ora electric hatch currently offered in Australia has trailed its BYD Dolphin and MG 4 rivals in sales, despite lower prices.
The Ora 5 ditches the cat-themed names previously used by the brand in China for a simple number, which GWM says "transcends cultural differences", eliminates "the need for translation" and makes it easier "for global users to remember and identify".
Not ditched, however, is the cute, rounded styling, with the Ora hatch's front and rear ends replicated by the SUV on a taller, wider scale, including its circular headlights and LED tail-lights integrated into the upper tailgate.
The SUV measures 4471mm long, 1883mm tall and 1641mm wide, on a 2720mm wheelbase – very similar to an MG S5 EV or BYD Atto 3, and slightly larger than a Kia EV3.
GWM touts styling that "perfectly conforms to the Fibonacci curve," and an "axle ratio of 2.74" that it claims is "remarkably close to the 2.75 of the classic luxury model, the Porsche Macan".
Alloy wheels up to 18 inches in diameter are available, while Chinese models can be ordered with a lidar sensor on the roof.
Inside, the cabin is more contemporary than today's Ora hatch, with a freestanding touchscreen in the centre of the dashboard running GWM's latest 'Coffee' software, incorporating the air-conditioning controls into the display.
There is a row of toggle switches under the screen for auto temperature, toggling the fan on and off, demisters, and the hazard lights, as well as conventional air-vent adjustment.
A new two-spoke steering wheel has been fitted, plus a circa-10-inch instrument display, a single wireless phone charger, multi-colour ambient lighting, a panoramic glass roof, two cupholders, and a 'floating' centre console with storage underneath.
Few mechanical details have been published, beyond that it will use a single 150kW electric motor powering the front wheels, which Chinese media report will be linked to a lithium iron phosphate battery pack.
In the GWM Lightning Cat, which uses a similar electric motor, there is a choice of 63.9kWh and 83.5kWh batteries for lab-based CLTC driving range ratings of of 555km and 705km, Car News China reports.
More details of the 2026 GWM Ora 5 are due closer to its Chinese launch in the coming months.
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Alex Misoyannis has been writing about cars since 2017, when he started his own website, Redline. He contributed for Drive in 2018, before joining CarAdvice in 2019, becoming a regular contributing journalist within the news team in 2020. Cars have played a central role throughout Alex’s life, from flicking through car magazines at a young age, to growing up around performance vehicles in a car-loving family. Highly Commended - Young Writer of the Year 2024 (Under 30) Rising Star Journalist, 2024 Winner Scoop of The Year - 2024 Winner
