Ora made its first showing in South Africa in racy GT guise.
One of the biggest attractions at last week’s Nampo Agricultural expo in Bothaville in the Free State, Great Wall Motors (GWM) provided more than just a sneak peek of the new Ora South Africa will be privy to around the third quarter of this year by showcasing the actual model for the first time on local soil.
Confirmed to replace the outgoing Mini Cooper SE as South Africa’s most attainable electric vehicle, the Ora bound for the local market will be based on the Funky Cat sold in China, but marketed under the GWM banner rather than the standalone Ora marque as in the People’s Republic.
Showcased at Nampo was the Ora 400 GT Ultra Luxury that will top the local line-up as it does in Australia where sales commenced in February.
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Similar to the Ora range Down Under, the South African model count will span three derivatives starting off with the 400 Super Luxury as base model, the Ultra Luxury in the middle and the GT as flagship.
Although GWM didn’t disclose any technical details, based on the Australian model, two battery sizes are available; the entry-level 48-kWh and the flagship 63-kWh, both producing 126kW/250Nm.
The main difference is the claimed range that increases from 310 km in the former, to 420 km in the latter.
As a comparison, the Cooper SE’s smaller but more powerful 32.6-kWh battery pack delivers 135kW/270Nm, but only allows for a range of 217 km.
While almost guaranteed that the Super Luxury will be privy to the 48-kWh battery and the GT to the 63-kWh, it remains to be seen whether the Ultra Luxury will follow the same route as its Australian sibling by receiving the same module as the GT.
In terms of charging time, the Ora supports DC charging up to 80 kW, therefore requiring a waiting time of 41 minutes from 10-80% according to GWM.
Set to be priced from R716 900 to R915 900, the former representing a R25 202 price credit over the Mini, GWM did provide details of certain specification items, though a full array will be announced once the official South African launch takes place.
Nonetheless, it did confirm the following items for all three models as standard:
Reserved for the Ultra Luxury and GT is a panoramic sunroof, with the latter being the added recipient of the model specific bumper, door sills and grille, 18-inch GT alloy wheels, red accents inside and out, red stitching on the steering wheel, doors, seats and dashboard, and even a launch control function.
As mentioned, GWM is expected to reveal more details in due course, but before then, don’t be surprised if the automaker embarks on a teaser campaign dropping specification hints about the Ora instead of disclosing details in one go.
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