Fledgling Chinese marque Ora will be setting up shop for the first time in the UK this year – its first model being the rather oddly-named Funky Cat electric supermini.
Ora is a spin-off brand owned by Chinese powerhouse Great Wall Motors. With only electric cars in its repertoire, the company is hoping that its new Funky Cat supermini will become a viable left-field alternative to compact all-electric best-sellers like the Mini Electric and Vauxhall Corsa-e.
Powered by a 48kWh battery, Ora claims that the five-door Funky Cat can travel a maximum of 193 miles on a fully charged battery, and that the supermini can charge at a rate of 80kW – charging from 15% to 80% in 40 minutes. The first Funky Cat models to arrive in the UK will be part of a ‘First Edition’ series, with prices starting from £30,495.
By comparison, the Corsa-e hatchback uses a smaller 45kWh battery to muster an all-electric range of 175 miles, but starts at more than £3,000 less than the Funky Cat, and can charge at a faster rate of 100kW too. That said, the price of the Ora Funky Cat supermini is likely to drop slightly as first edition models are replaced by a regular trim range in 2023.
Keen to put any customer concerns at ease, Ora is offering the Funky Cat with a five-year unlimited mileage warranty, with cover for the car’s battery that lasts for eight years or 100,000 miles.
There are four exterior paint colours to choose from (red, black and two variations of green) and two interior colours (black or grey). The roof can either be specced as black or white, and 18-inch alloy wheels are standard.
The Ora Funky Cat First Edition model also comes with a long list of on-board equipment – some of which is usually reserved for bigger, more expensive electric cars. The dashboard features a ten-inch instrument cluster, and a ten-inch infotainment screen, from which you can set the car’s climate control function and access its 360-degree reversing camera.
The Funky Cat First Edition also has keyless entry, wireless phone charging, rear parking sensors, LED headlights and an auto-dimming rearview mirror, as well as a host of safety assistance features, like blind spot monitoring, adaptive cruise control, lane keeping assistance and a rear cross traffic alert system.
Ora is currently trying to establish a nationwide network of retailers to start selling the Funky Cat, which can also be purchased using the brand’s online sales platform from August.
The company has been gauging interest in its new supermini since its UK public debut at the Fully Charged Live electric vehicle show in April, and says that over 6,000 people have registered an interest in buying a model already. Customers will be able to reserve a vehicle with a £100 deposit from June, with vehicles arriving later this year.
