Another new Chinese car brand trying its luck in Germany. But Ora does things differently than other brands from the Far East. With its purely electric vehicles, it deserves special attention among the newcomers. And the first model is something to be proud of.
More and more Chinese car brands are currently coming to Germany and will do so in the coming months. Most recently, Nio caused a stir when presenting its first ET 7 model, on the one hand because of its cheeky positioning in the S-Class segment, and on the other hand because of the option of completely replacing batteries at special stations in a short time. But most Chinese manufacturers are much more modest and try their luck in the affordable segments of the SUV and sedan compact class.
Among the newcomers in Germany, the Ora brand deserves special attention with its purely electric models. Even the name Funky Cat makes you sit up and take notice and expect an extraordinary vehicle. The fact that Ora is the first vehicle not (another) SUV to enter the race, but a five-door Golf format vehicle measuring 4.24 meters is certainly extraordinary.
The design is also out of the ordinary: the freaky cat comes in a sympathetic retro design, with a harmonious side line and a front area that, with a little good will, even reminds you of Porsche with its raised fenders and relatively horizontal headlight cover.
This seems to be consistent with the brand claim. “We have high quality standards and set standards in security and digitization,” says Jens Schulz, who is responsible for the Ora brand at the newly founded Emil Frey Import Services, which also owns Mitsubishi.
This claim is underscored by a full range of safety equipment with all the assistance systems customary in this class, even in the basic version, and five out of five stars in the EuroNCAP test with very good individual values, for example 92 percent for adult occupant protection and 93 percent for the assistance systems. The interior also exudes quality and charm; in the top version, for example, soft plastics and man-made leather form a high-quality combination.
A highlight is the extremely intelligent language assistant, which implemented the tasks assigned to it practically flawlessly in the first test and thus puts some so-called premium products in the shade. The “Hey” that is common today, combined with the brand name, opens the sunroof and even the trunk completely after further commands.
The quirky name Funky Cat is a European solution, in China the vehicle is called Haomao, which can be translated as “good cat”. The cat in Chinese means more than a pet, but is also generally regarded as a “companion”. “Ora” does not mean the Latin word for “pray” either, the term is rather a composition of “open” (open), reliable (reliable) and “alternative”.
The vehicle will probably be offered in Germany for just under 40,000 euros (before deducting the e-premium of almost 7180 euros), then it has a battery with a capacity of 48 kWh on board, which should enable a range of around 300 kilometers, with the 63rd -kWh package it is around 400 kilometers. The Funky Cat will be available in five variants, with the highest level GT with full equipment probably being around 10,000 euros above the base price.
The Ora has an electric motor with an output of 126 kW/171 hp on board, accelerates to 100 km/h in 8.2 seconds and can be accelerated to up to 160 km/h. The warranty is decent at five years with no mileage limit and eight years or 160,000 kilometers on the battery.
Funky Cat scores above all with its design, the safety package, quality and workmanship as well as the great voice assistant. The good amount of space on the rear seats, however, is paid for with a very small trunk, which only offers space for 228 liters of luggage. After all, the rear seats are foldable. In addition, the view to the rear is limited by the narrow rear windows, which is only partially compensated for by the standard reversing camera. It’s also a pity that there is no head-up display for this Ora for package reasons.
The electric compact car comes to Germany in January. Jens Schulz is optimistic when it comes to sales: “We have ordered 6,000 Funky Cats for next year and will sell them without any problems.” Another Ora model will come to Germany in the second half of the year. The coupé SUV is significantly larger at 4.90 meters. Which sounds a lot more conventional.
