The Funky Cat from Ora will say nothing to most car fans. Nothing at all. Even before the International Motor Show in Munich in autumn 2021, not only Ora was presented as a noble lifestyle brand from the stable of the Great Wall Motors Group, but also the Cat, which is too cute to look at from its spherical eyes. At the beginning of 2023, the 4.24 meter five-door will also be launched in Europe. It’s been available in the UK for a few weeks. The next step is Israel, Sweden and Germany as well as other countries with which the final votes are currently being taken. In Germany, Ora is imported by the experienced importer of the Frey Group, which also brings brands such as Mitsubishi and Subaru into the country. Somewhat surprisingly, Great Wall at Ora relies on normal dealer sales and does without the trendy online purchase.
In the course of a year, the electrically purring Ora Cat became the Funky Cat. The cat on four wheels is somehow different, somehow cool and always fun. Not a crossover like almost all the others and not as big as so many have become. No big surprise there is an electric drive and two battery sizes of 46 and 63 kWh, with which ranges of 310 and 420 kilometers should be possible. The electric motor, which alone drives the front axle, has an output of 126 kW / 171 hp, which should suit most customers, as should the limited top speed of 160 km/h. From a standstill to 100 km/h in 8.2 seconds – that is just as pleasing as the promised standard consumption of 16.5 kWh per 100 kilometers.
If there’s one thing that’s lacking, it’s the charging speed, because with a tired 67 kilowatts you can hardly speak of a quick charge – the 1.6-tonne Funky Cat mimics the slumbering snail and here should be before the official market launch in the first quarter 2023 to be replenished as soon as possible. However, that should be possible, because the standard built-in 5G data turbo enables updates anytime and anywhere. With this electronic tailwind over the air, the Ora Funky Cat wants to be the perfect automobile companion for everyday life. There is hardly a function that cannot be operated using a voice assistant, and the artificial intelligence makes the Chinese compact class model smarter and more comfortable with every use. Anyone who is afraid of becoming a transparent customer can turn off the automated functions and find themselves in the historical everyday operation of the competition. The space fits front and rear. Nevertheless, the driver cannot take too many people and luggage in the 228 to 858 liter cargo space, because the payload is a slim 355 kilograms.
The basic version of the Ora Funky Cat starts at around 35,000 euros. Here the cat is just as little a bargain as the Mini Cooper SE or the electric Fiat 500 a class below. Expectations are particularly high for the GT variant from 45,000 euros, which does not offer more power, but better equipment inside and out. But even in the top version, there is a panoramic roof and air-conditioned massage seats, but no fine leather chairs. As bold as the Funky Cat is on the outside, it is down-to-earth on the inside. Here, Great Wall Motors believes it knows its European customers very well and does not want to scare them away. The touch steering wheel, two displays and a traditional switch panel in the dashboard remain the central contact points. Only the facial recognition on the A-pillar looks like a leap into a networked car future. The Funky Cat is the first model in the Ora family to recognize the pilot via Face ID, automatically adjusts the seats, radio station, temperature and all of the driver’s preferences. One piece the Chinese compact-class model is such a leap into a new automotive era. In which the driver has to make friends with moderately contoured seats, a short thigh support and a missing head-up display, because this is where the cool companion on four wheels makes at least a little mistake.
