GWM’s electric brand turns to SUVs for the first time and targets urban families with funky styling and extra space.
Great Wall Motor’s Ora brand has officially unveiled the Ora 5, a compact electric SUV with an expected starting price below RMB120,000 (£12,500 / $16,900 / €14,400).
The five-seat crossover offers Ora’s typical cutesy design language in a more practical package with distinctive styling elements aimed at younger urban buyers.
The model marks Ora’s expansion into the SUV segment for the first time, a move aimed to stemming the brand’s current sales struggles which have only recently started to see signs of recovery thanks to updates and lower pricing.
Production is expected to commence later this year with the Ora 5 positioned as an affordable family-oriented alternative to Chinese electric crossover rivals from BYD and Geely.
Measuring 4,471mm in length, 1,833mm in width, and 1,641mm in height, and with a wheelbase of 2,720mm, the Ora 5 is targeted directly at models like the BYD Atto 3 (Yuan Plus in China), with space for five people in a two-row format.
It retains much of the rounded design language pioneered on the Ora Funky Cat but in a slightly chunkier package, with oval headlamps, a closed front, a clamshell bootlid with lights integrated into the rear window.
Traditional SUV cues like silver roof rails, chunky door handles, and a raised ride height, while 18-inch wheels help beef up the somewhat more playful appearance.
To back up its youthful nature, the Ora 5 will come with a choice of six colours, three of which are brighter shades such as metallic teal, a matte blue, and a hot pink, as well as three more muted shades.
The Ora 5’s cabin takes on a fashionable and premium look with liberal use of soft-touch materials including a check-pattern fabric on the dashboard and in the doors, which also conceals the ambient lighting elements.
A large central screen is joined by a smaller digital instrument display behind the steering wheel, while additional accessories include a wireless charger and cupholders on the centre console, chrome physical switches similar to those on a MINI, and funky round speakers in the doors.
The interior comes in three colour variations, with either a full black option, or a two-tone design with a cream base colour and either a black or coffee brown upper on the doors and dash.
Front seats are electronically adjustable and come with heating and ventilation, while there’s also a zero-gravity function on the front passenger seats.
In the rear there’s a sculpted bench that appears to have a solid backrest without any split-fold functionality, though this would almost certainly change for international markets, a central vent, and a storage drawer behind the centre console.
MIIT filings for the Ora 5 have revealed it will get a single drivetrain option consisting of a 150kW motor, likely on the front axle like on the Funky Cat.
Battery options haven’t been revealed yet but we’re expecting range up to around 600km and a choice of two batteries, likely with a maximum 70kWh pack size similar to other rivals of this size.
Notably, the Ora 5, which might also be known as i5 in other markets as badging on the MIIT filing suggests, gets a LiDAR unit on top of the windscreen meaning it will be getting some assisted driving ability.
This will likely take the format of of GWM’s third-generation Coffee Pilot Ultra system, which enables both urban and highway autopilot capability, though this will likely fall under level 2 classification at this point.
Prices are expected to start at around RMB120,000 (£12,500 / $16,900 / €14,400), which would position it against mainstream rivals like the BYD Yuan Plus (Atto 3 in other markets) and Geely E5, with international sales expected in 2026.
