GWM (Great Wall Motor) is the new kid on the block in Thailand's automotive scene. The Ora Good Cat 2022 is GWM's latest 100% electric vehicle (EV), which is being introduced to the Thai market through a "pre-order" campaign, albeit without price lists. Bookings are only available online through GWM's website until Oct 28 with prices to be announced on Oct 29.
Customers opting to pre-order will receive the "Ora CAT ULTRA DEAL" value package -- offering many incentives and privileges -- and will be given priority advanced vehicle delivery.
To date, there have been at least 5,000 online bookings for the Ora Good Cat EV even without a price list which indicates a growing demand for EVs in the Thai market or lack of competition as yet.
Though the sales and marketing campaign offers up lots of bells and whistles with websites and online platforms offering "Test Drives" and "Reserve Now" banners, the absence of any price list will have a negative impact.
After speaking to GWM Thailand, we were told that due to studies and research into the Thai market, GWM will have a "One Price Policy" to avoid a price war between dealers.
Ora is GWM's first battery electric vehicle (BEV) brand with a modern and eco-friendly design and is packed with the latest technologies from researchers, developers and designers from around the world. The Ora brand was used to commemorate the world-famous mathematician Leonhard Euler and its logo is derived from an exclamation mark to mean creating new inventions.
The word "CAT" refers to the many people in China that helped develop and launch the EV such as the Ora Good Cat GT Mulan, Ora Ballet Cat, Ora Lightning Cat, Ora Punk Cat and Ora Cherry Cat.
Usually, Bangkok Post Motoring doesn't talk about promotions but we believe that this information is sometimes useful. With only three days until the Ora value packages expire, let's take a look at what customers can expect to receive.
Pre-order customers will be able to make various configurations on three models: Ora Good Cat 400 TECH, Ora Good Cat 400 PRO and Ora Good Cat 500 ULTRA, starting with exterior and interior colours.
We can probably give you a good guess as to the expected price of the Ora EVs based on prices in China where they're sold between 103,900 yuan (535,000 baht) to 143,900 yuan (740,000 baht). The Chinese government also supports 100% EVs by funding roughly 200,000 baht per vehicle. Thus, we estimate the price range of the Ora Good Cat 400 series to set customers back about 735,000 baht and the Ora Good Cat 500 series to cost around 945,000 baht.
