Great Wall Ora Good Cat EV previewed in Thailand – 145 PS/210 Nm, 401-501 km range, AI memory parking - Latest Car News, Bike news & Reviews, Auto News

Great Wall Motors has begun its entry into the Thai market for electric vehicles, starting with the preview of the Ora Good Cat electric vehicle. A literal translation of its original Chinese name Haomao, the Good Cat comes with a single-motor powertrain that produces 145 PS and 210 Nm of torque, sent to the front wheels.

First emerging on the Chinese market last September, the Ora Good Cat will be underpinned by the Great Wall Motors Lemon platform that also forms the basis of the Haval H6 SUV, and this will also underpin a forthcoming fully electric MINI that will be built by the joint venture between Great Wall and BMW. The fully electric Ora measures 4,235 mm long, 1,825 mm wide and 1,596 mm tall with a 2,650 mm wheelbase.

The 0-50 km/h run takes 3.8 seconds, with a claimed top speed of 150 km/h. The Good Cat registers a claimed kerb weight of 1,510 kg, and has 228 litres of luggage capacity with the rear seats in place, or 858 litres with the seats folded. Under the skin, front suspension is courtesy of MacPherson struts while the rear gets a torsion beam setup. Depending on trim level, tyre sizes are either 205/55R17 or 215/50R18.

There are two battery capacities of 47.8 kWh and 59.1 kWh, offering 401 km and 501 km of range, respectively. Standard AC charging takes eight hours to a full charge, while DC fast charging from 30% to 80% state of charge can be attained in 30 minutes, says the automaker.

GWM will introduce another two models to Thailand later this year

Partially autonomous driving features in the Good Cat with a system called Ora Pilot Driving, which includes functions such as adaptive cruise control, automated throttle control and intelligent curve assist. Also included is a function called Wisdom Dodge, which steers the vehicle away from large vehicles in adjacent lanes whilst remaining in its own lane.

The Good Cat also features Ora Pilot Safety, which includes front collision warning with AEB, blind spot detection, lane departure warning, rear collision warning and rear cross traffic alert.

Under the Ora Pilot Parking banner is an autonomous parking function, which includes AI point-to-point memory parking. The vehicle learns and remembers routes to parking spaces with satellite navigation and ultrasonic radar, and when the driver arrives in the vicinity of a location previously stored in the car’s memory, the memory parking function enables the car to find a space and park itself.

Shown alongside the Haval H6 at the presentation, the two models will lead the pack of an eventual four models that will be introduced to the Thai market in the course of 2021. Here, the remaining two vehicles under the veils appear to be a hatchback and an SUV, or possibly an MPV.

Pricing for Thailand has yet to be revealed, though in China, the Ora Good Cat ranges from 103,900 yuan (RM65,221) to 143,900 yuan (RM90,340).

Great Wall Motors last year stated its intention of making Thailand its hub for electric vehicles in the ASEAN region, after talks between its top management personnel and the country’s energy ministry and Board of Investment (BoI). GWM invested heavily in Thailand in the preceding six months, as part of its globalisation strategy for RHD vehicles to be made in the country for export within the region.