LAOIS MOTORING: Chinese car manufacturers make inroads in Irish market with new ORA FUNKY CAT

It all most seems to have come out of nowhere but we are starting to see some less well known (in Ireland anyway) motor brands from China entering the Irish market.

Many will know that the famous British brand MG is now owned by the Chinese and they are producing a rather good bunch of new EV’s one of which, the MG4 I road tested on these pages recently.

Another Chinese motor company BYD (Build Your Dreams) has just launched here with an EV SUV called the BYD ATTO 3. I have not driven this one yet but it looks quite good despite the somewhat unusual manufacturer and model name. 

I recently attended the launch of another Chinese brand called GWM (Great Wall Motor). Their car also boasts an unusual name and is called the ORA FUNKY CAT. 

The  ORA FUNKY CAT is a brand new EV and I have driven it and I must say its really quite enticing. They pitch the car as an emotive addition to your lifestyle and not just a mode of transport. It boasts  huge amount of standard kit some of which you would not see on the likes of a top of the range German premium brand car. 

Prices for the ORA FUNKY CAT start at €31,995 and its impressive array of standard kit from the entry model up includes, facial and voice recognition, electric seats, power folding mirrors, 360 degree surround camera, wireless charging , adaptive cruise control, 18 inch alloy wheels, a host of safety kit highlights of which are rear traffic cross alert and brake, and traffic jam assist, ( It won a 5 star NCAP safety rating).

Move onto the higher spec model and you add goodies such as opening panoramic roof, power tailgate, massaging front seats, ventilated and heated seats, a heated steering wheel and even auto park assist. Frankly I do not know of any other manufacturer that has a model with such a specification at this price point.

There are two versions to choose from, the 300 PRO with a 48kWh battery and a claimed range of 31 km or the 400 PRO+ with a 63kWh battery and a claimed range of 420km. 

Now I always exercise a note of caution on EV quoted ranges. They never achieve the claimed! Also remember claimed ranges are from a 100% charge and we are told to only charge to 80% to preserve battery life (its also tedious to get the last 20% charge into the batteries as the charging process slows) so straight away take 20% off claimed ranges!

So it's well kitted put, it looks cool and dare I say “funky” it has a 5 star NCAP safety rating so what’s not to like? At this point I cannot find much that dod not appeal. I drove the new ORA FUNKY CAT (yes they have the name in capitals) and I must say it drove rather well.

I took it on a test route of about 50km of country in county Meath and it rides and handles nicely, its quiet and it feels much larger inside than its compact exterior dimensions might suggest.

With facial recognition you just jump in and go (once its set to recognise you of course), no key thats it just drive. All your personal settings restored via facial recognition also and of course there can be more than one drive set up.

So until I take a longer and more comprehensive test drive I can at least for now say that the new ORA FUNKY CAT merits closer inspection if you are in the market for a compact, superbly equipped EV.

LAOIS MOTORING:   New MG4 is a real cracker!