2022 Ora Cat 01 UK pricing and features

The Ora Cat 01 will begin to roll out across Europe from the beginning of next year, as pricing and features of the Chinese electric vehicle have been confirmed.

The Cat 01 is GWM sub-brand Ora's first attempt at an EV, based on a dedicated electric architecture with a front-mounted motor.

With a starting cost of around £25,000 (AU$45,555) in the United Kingdom, the small five-door could land locally close to the price of Australia's cheapest EV – the MG ZS EV – which is $44,990 before on-road costs and incentives.

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Powering the Ora Cat 01 to a 0-50km/h time of 3.8 seconds is a 126kW/250Nm electric motor, supplied by a choice of 48kWh and 63kWh battery packs which provide a claimed driving range of 336km and 420km respectively.

Fitted with an 80kW charger, the battery packs can be taken from 10 to 80 per cent charge in around 40 to 50 minutes respectively, while AC charging will allow for a slower overnight cycle.

The Ora Cat 01 is similar to a Volkswagen Golf in its exterior dimensions, standing at 4235mm in length, 1825mm in width and just over 1600mm high, giving it a boot which has a capacity of just 228 litres.

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According to British publication Auto Express, a host of safety tech such as autonomous parking, lane assist and driver fatigue monitoring are standard, while 12 ultrasonic radar sensors and cameras gives the Ora Cat 01 some semi-autonomous capabilities.

In the cabin, a 10.25-inch digital dash and 10.25-inch infotainment screen are linked atop the dashboard, providing Apple CarPlay and Android Auto – as well as over-the-air updates.

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The Ora Cat 01 won't be the first Chinese-built EV available in Australia, as its main MG rival and the benchmark Tesla Model 3 are both assembled in Chinese plants – although with little brand recognition it will be interesting to see how the Great Wall-owned brand performs.