- Olga Kokorina
- Translated by Olga Apetenok
- Ru Fr He Ar
ORA and its ‘funky cat’
The Ora Cat or Funky Cat is a small 5-door electric city car that debuted in China in 2021 under the name Haomao, which is translated from Chinese (好猫) as ‘good cat’. The car has a retro design and is very reminiscent of the famous Volkswagen Beetle. Sales of the Ora Cat in China began in November 2020. In Europe, the car is known as the Funky Cat. Here the manufacturer began to accept orders on March 1, 2022. The car will be sold under the same name in Israel. Let’s see what this “cat” is.
The ORA brand was created by Great Wall in 2018 exclusively for the production of electric vehicles and over time has found its unique niche, especially a female audience. Most ORA cars began to receive a "cute" design and a pastel color scheme. And at auto shows, the brand began to hold manicure master classes and design its pavilions in the appropriate style.
On the official website, the model is called a new generation sports electric car, truly intelligent and beautiful. The ‘cat’ is based on the L.E.M.O.N. electric platform, owned by the Great Wall group. It is the brand’s first to use this architecture which, according to the manufacturer, ensures its models have a good layout, powerful powertrains and safety. The Funky Cat, like ORA’s other cars, is designed for young buyers who appreciate style and durability.
Exterior
The new ORA Funky Cat features a fun retro Beetle-inspired design with distinctive rounded proportions and widely spaced headlights. Even the doorknobs are retro. The exterior was designed by former Porsche designer Emmanuel Derta. At ORA, they nevertheless tried to move away a little from the design of the Beetle, by redoing the optics. But the similarity of these cars is obvious. For the company, the model has become a kind of breakthrough in the field of aerodynamics: the drag coefficient is only 0.289. The car is 4,235 mm long, 1,825 mm wide and 1,596mm high. The wheelbase is 2,650 mm.
Interior
The Funky Cat offers a lot of equipment, including an automatic parking system, adaptive cruise control and versatile cameras. In Germany, where the Chinese model first appeared, it is offered at a price of 30,000 euros, in the United Kingdom for 30,500 pounds. Italy, Spain, Norway are the next borders where the Chinese cat will go.
Powertrains
The 2022/2023 ORA Funky Cat is equipped with a 169 hp electric motor with a maximum torque of 210 Nm. It is located on the front axle and is powered by batteries with a capacity of 46 or 59 kWh. The entry-level version has a driving range of 300 km, while the top-end version offers 400 km. The hatchback accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 8.5 seconds. In addition, the manufacturer offers a sports version called GT, which has a more aggressive body kit and a 170 hp electric motor. Its autonomy can go up to 300-400 km.
