Latest news with #FunkyCat
The Citizen
06-05-2025
- Automotive
- The Citizen
GWM plans on beating Ferrari in the supercar game
Hundreds of millions of Yuan later, and claiming they have managed to overcome challenges other performance automakers haven't, Great Wall Motor (GWM) is now planning on rivalling the likes of Ferrari. Despite its dominance in the electric vehicle race, China isn't ready to put the internal combustion engine out to pasture just yet. Looking for your next new or used vehicle? Find it here with CARmag. GWM, better known for bakkies and burly SUVs, has unveiled a new twin-turbo 4.0-litre petrol V8 and is developing a 3.0-litre six-cylinder diesel — signs that the old-school grunt still has a place in its future for many global markets, like South Africa. But that isn't exactly new news since being revealed at the Shanghai Auto Show, the real headline here is that the Chinese automaker is cooking up a Ferrari-beating supercar. Related: GWM Debuts New Electrified V8 Engine at Shanghai Auto Show In an eyebrow-raising interview posted on Weibo (China's version of X), GWM's chief technology officer Wu Huixiao claimed the still-secret sports car would be 'better than a Ferrari'. Bold words from a brand whose most recognisable product abroad might be the Funky Cat hatchback. But Huixiao insists GWM's Baoding HQ has been quietly developing the project for five years, studying rivals closely. GWM has reportedly brought in Nürburgring specialists to advise on chassis dynamics. But it hasn't been smooth sailing and Huixiao admitted to difficulties with producing the car's carbon fibre tub, and escalating costs have delayed its debut. The powertrain also remains a mystery. That new V8 is reportedly too large for the application, leaving options open: Either an adapted smaller engine or something entirely new. Related: GWM Unveils New Logo During Future Roadmap Unveiling at Shanghai Auto Show With leaps and bounds made in electrification, some early speculation points towards a plug-in hybrid setup. The goal of this according to Huixiao is a car that 'spikes adrenaline, causes an explosion of hormones, and dopamine'. All PR jargon at the expense of some precarious Chinese to English translations aside, it seems as though the next segment the Chinese automaker has set its sights on is the holy grail of them all. It may be a tall order expecting buyers wanting pinnacle performance to trade their Maranello steed in exchange for one from Baoding, but time will tell if the Chinese automaker can put its money where its mouth is… Browse thousands of new and used cars here with CARmag. The post GWM Plans on Beating Ferrari in the Supercar Game appeared first on CAR Magazine.
Motor 1
05-05-2025
- Automotive
- Motor 1
China Promises a Supercar 'Better' Than a Ferrari SF90
China is dominating the EV game, but is not giving up on combustion engines yet. Great Wall Motor recently unveiled a twin-turbo 4.0-liter gas V-8 for high-end vehicles and is also developing a 3.0-liter six-cylinder diesel. At the top of its lineup will be a supercar, which GWM claims has been developing for the past five years. Although the company is virtually unknown in the performance car world, it apparently has Ferrari in its sights. In an interview posted on China's social media platform Weibo , the automaker's Chief Technology Officer boldly claimed the mystery sports car will be better than a Ferrari. However, according to CnEVPost , Wu Huixiao also admitted that GWM is learning from its rivals in its ambitious attempt to outdo the Prancing Horse. A high-performance model would be a major departure for a company best known for pickup trucks and SUVs. You may also recognize GWM's sub-brand Ora and its oddly named Funky Cat electric hatchback, which was later rebranded as the Ora 03. Photo by: Great Wall Motors Great Wall Motor's new V-8 engine Photo by: Great Wall Motors Great Wall Motor's new V-8 engine During the interview with a Chinese blogger, Wu revealed that GWM brought a Nürburgring expert to China to gain insights into the challenging German track. However, development hasn't been without setbacks. Wu acknowledged issues with carbon fiber tub production and said cost reduction remains a challenge, which is one of the reasons the project has yet to be officially revealed, despite being five years in the making. As for what will power the supercar, the V-8 mentioned earlier seems unlikely. Wu suggested it's too large, without confirming whether GWM is adapting a smaller existing engine or building a new one entirely. The company currently offers a twin-turbo 3.0-liter V-6 in the Tank 700 as part of a plug-in hybrid system delivering 516 horsepower. There's also the Tank 500 Hi4-Z with a bonkers 851 hp from a PHEV setup that combines a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine with two electric motors. The mention of Ferrari's SF90 Stradale hints that GWM's new model will likely be a plug-in hybrid as well. China already has a growing segment of fully electric performance cars, including the BYD Yangwang U9 and GAC Aion Hyper SSR. To compete with both domestic and international rivals, Wu claimed GWM 'must build a car that will spike adrenaline, cause an explosion of hormones, and dopamine.' Photo by: Yangwang BYD Yangwang U9 GAC Aion Hyptec SSR Interestingly, Chinese reports claim GWM Chairman Jack Wei was spotted driving a Ferrari SF90, reinforcing that the company is aiming high. Still, even if the car ends up being faster and more affordable, it won't carry the prestige of something from Maranello. Then again, that might not matter much in today's Chinese market, where local brands are gaining ground by offering tech-packed EVs with longer ranges, often at significantly lower prices than their Western counterparts. Outside of China, a high-end sports car would be a tough sell, even at a far lower price. We don't see many Ferrari loyalists canceling their orders for a GWM, BYD, etc. China In The News: Porsche Could Quit EVs In China The Toyota bZ7 Is a Chinese Electric Flagship Sedan Get the best news, reviews, columns, and more delivered straight to your inbox, daily. back Sign up For more information, read our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use . Source: Weibo via CnEVPost Share this Story Facebook X LinkedIn Flipboard Reddit WhatsApp E-Mail Got a tip for us? Email: tips@ Join the conversation ( )
Telegraph
22-04-2025
- Automotive
- Telegraph
GWM Ora 03 GT review: This Chinese electric car might look cute, but it's far too expensive
The Funky Cat is no longer funky. Or, for that matter, a cat. GWM's oddly named – and even more oddly styled – electric hatchback has been rebranded with the aim of making it the butt of fewer sniggers. It's now called the Ora 03 – a name that will fit better when GWM launches the larger Ora 07 four-door saloon later this year. GWM has also reshuffled the range, tweaked the prices, added a sportier GT model and made a few changes under the skin. All this is an attempt to bolster the Ora 03's image in the UK after it launched to fairly lacklustre reviews a couple of years ago. Have the changes had the desired effect? Pros Decent to drive Good passenger space Chock full of equipment Cons Too expensive for what it is Tiny boot Slow charging speeds Followers of fashion The first thing to remember about this car is that there are people who will love it and want to buy it irrespective of how good it actually is. With the exception of the electric Fiat 500 and Mini, whose dinner the Ora 03 is clearly after, there isn't really much like this on the market – this car is all about vibes. Which is why I can be highly cynical about the virtual fish that pop up on the touchscreen when you open the door or the cutesy styling, or the overtly retro interior that's available in a series of violent hues. But this is catnip to the sort of people who buy – and love – cars such as this. For them, the Ora 03 is perfectly pitched. The big news, actually, is not the arrival of the GT version tested here, but the new Pure model, which loses some equipment to achieve a starting price of £24,995. That's a whopping discount over the £31,995 you used to have to pay for the old Pure+ version (and a tacit admission that it was priced far too high before). But there's a catch, which is that the Pure now has a much smaller battery of 45kWh (usable) and an official range of 193 miles (145-ish in the real world), all of which puts it within touching distance of – though still more expensive than – the entry-level Citroën C3 and Renault 5. To upgrade the battery to the 59 kilowatt-hour (kWh) version you got before will set you back a further £4,000, for which you also get a bit of extra kit – heated front seats, front parking sensors and electric memory seats, for example. Charging speeds are pretty sluggish, however; the Pure will take 45 minutes to get from 10 to 80 per cent, charging at only 64kWh. The Pro isn't much better, its 67kWh charging speed meaning it takes 48 minutes to achieve the same level of charge. Promise unfulfilled You still don't get a heat pump even with the Pro, though – for that, you must pay more again for the GT, which is a not-inconsiderable £32,995. Yet it is remarkably well equipped for that money; you also get a panoramic sunroof, front seats that'll massage you and cool your posterior, as well as a sporty bodykit. That's about it, though. If you're excited by the idea of a bit of extra power befitting a GT badge, don't be. The GT is little more than a looks-and-equipment package; even the suspension is the same as the standard car. In fact, the only concession to performance is the inclusion – rather bizarrely – of launch control as standard. With only 168 brake horsepower (bhp), that feels like overkill, especially given the Ora 03's 1.9-tonne kerb weight. 0-62mph comes up in 8.3 seconds – not slow, then, but not exactly rip-snorting. For context, an MG 4 Trophy has 33bhp more, gets to 62mph half a second quicker, costs £500 less and has two years' more warranty. Its proportions make the Ora 03 look tiddly in isolation, but it is much larger than you might expect; it's only 50mm shorter than the MG or, for that matter, a Volkswagen Golf. Yet the boot is absolutely tiny – only 228 litres, less than in a Kia Picanto. Thankfully, there's more space in the rear seats, which makes them more hospitable to family life – as long as you're travelling light (which, if you have small kids, you probably aren't, of course). Style counsel In the front, it's a more edifying story. The GT has a natty combination of black and dark grey fabrics with red accents on the seats, doors, dash and steering wheel, all of which provides a pleasant ambience. There are some high-quality materials, too, many of which are tactile, although the effect is spoiled by the fact there are also some cheap-feeling plastics – most notably the Mini-like toggle switches, which are particularly flimsy. The dash top sweeps down meaning that the two screens that constitute the infotainment system and the virtual instrument binnacle sit low. They're small, too, although that isn't such a bad thing as they don't dominate. The downside, of course, is that there are barely any buttons; almost every major function is packed into the relatively small touchscreen, which means you have to take your eyes off the road and row through the labyrinth of menus, cursing occasionally at the system's slow, glitchy responses, to find the function you need. This, inevitably, invites opprobrium from the driver monitoring system, a sinister-looking pod that watches you from the windscreen pillar and chides you when you take your eyes off the road. Which of course you are forced to do because you can't feel your way around the controls by touch alone. Thankfully, one of the areas GWM has worked on is the other driver 'assistance' systems. Previously, these were almost comically nannying, chiding you every few seconds for straying from your lane, going too fast or fiddling with the touchscreen, even when you weren't doing any of those. You still get the occasional bing or bong from these systems now, though far fewer than before – in fact, I'd go as far as to say the Ora 03 is now one of the less nagging modern cars, so far has the sensitivity of these systems been dialled back. On the road As for the car itself, it's not unpleasant to nip around in. There's a decent amount of poke from the motor (though not quite enough to consider this a warm hatch, let alone a hot one). And the suspension generally does a pretty good job of soaking up bumps, although it starts to run out of ideas when faced with truly churned-up surfaces. At higher speeds, the Ora 03 GT feels about the same, although the copious amount of tyre noise means you won't enjoy longer motorway trips. It handles smartly enough, too; sure, it's no Mini, but there's enough pep in the steering and grip from the front tyres to ensure the Ora 03 changes direction swiftly. Some more steering feel would be nice – switching to 'sport' mode only adds weighting, so much so that it's enough to make you prefer the 'normal' setting – but on the whole it's reasonably snappy. The Telegraph verdict Unfortunately, 'reasonably snappy' isn't enough to overcome the shortcomings. It's still too expensive for what it is; the fact that it's pricier than the Renault 5, a car whose retro charm it attempts to emulate, proves that. Granted, it's impossible to escape the fact that the Ora 03 has been imbued with a lot of fun, while your money buys an awful lot of equipment in this top-flight variant. In a nutshell, there's too much that simply doesn't measure up to better rivals that cost less. The fact this GT model's looks are writing cheques its motor can't cash simply rubs salt into the wound. The Ora 03 is better now it's no longer the Funky Cat. But it still isn't really good enough. The facts On test: GWM Ora 03 GT Body style: five-door hatchback On sale: now How much? £32,995 on the road (range from £24,995) How fast? 99mph, 0-62mph in 8.3sec How economical? 3.7mpkWh (WLTP Combined) Electric powertrain: AC permanent magnet synchronous motor with 59kWh (usable) battery, 67kW on-board charger, Type 2/CCS charging socket Electric range: 193 miles (WLTP Combined) Maximum power/torque: 168bhp/184lb ft CO2 emissions: 0g/km (tailpipe), 20g/km (well-to-wheel) VED: For cars registered on or after 1 April 2025 you will need to pay the lowest first year rate of vehicle tax set at £10. From the second tax payment onwards, you will pay the standard rate of £195. Warranty: 5 years / unlimited miles Spare wheel as standard: no (not available) The rivals Citroën ë-C3 Max 111bhp, 199 miles, £23,690 on the road It has less power and equipment than the Ora yet the top-spec ë-C3 costs less than the entry-level Ora 03. It's slightly less spacious inside, but there's more boot space, the interior feels more special and the electronics are more consistent. Oh, and this also happens to be one of the finest-riding small cars. Renault 5 150 hp Iconic Five 148bhp, 252 miles, £28,995 on the road The 5 can't quite match the Ora 03 on pace or equipment, but it beats it on range – and costs far less. Choosing the Ora over the 5 feels like choosing a picture of a cooling glass of lemonade instead of the real thing. There's a reason the 5 is the European Car of the Year; paying £4,000 extra for a facsimile feels like the antithesis of a no-brainer. MG 4 EV Trophy Long Range 201bhp, 278 miles, £32,495 on the road Want an even stronger example of the Ora 03's high price? MG will sell you a 4 with more – 30-odd horsepower, almost 90 miles of range and two years of warranty – for £500 less than the Ora 03 GT. It's much roomier inside, too. Granted, this version of the 4 again doesn't have quite as much equipment but on every other count it looks far better value.
