The Ora would be the first automobile bought by the Chinese language automaker in Australia to be sourced from Thailand.
The Rayong plant in Thailand – which beforehand produced the Holden Colorado and Trailblazer for our market, earlier than Common Motors bought to GWM in 2020 – presently manufactures not solely the Ora electrical hatch, but in addition the Hawal h6 mid-size SUV and Tank 300 off-road SUV.
Nevertheless, solely the GWM Ora has been confirmed to be switching to Thai sourcing for the Australian market.
The corporate confirmed the transfer after the Ora appeared in Australian Authorities certification paperwork with a special Car Identification Quantity (VIN).
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A GWM Australia spokesperson confirmed the transfer is as a result of Thai plant having manufacturing capability out there, and inserting a larger deal with right-hand drive manufacturing.
The Thai market is right-hand drive like ours, although GWM additionally builds left-hand drive automobiles on the Rayong plant for Brazil.
GWM upgraded the plant and began manufacturing there in 2021and it has capability to supply 80,000 automobiles yearly. The Ora entered manufacturing there in 2024.
It’s not the one Chinese language automaker to determine a manufacturing facility in Thailand, with BYD, MG and GAC additionally producing automobiles there. Nevertheless, none of those auto producers export Thai-built automobiles to our market.
Thai-built Oras are anticipated to reach in Australia in the course of the third quarter (July to September) of 2025, and the swap in manufacturing may correspond with updates for the small electrical hatch – although GWM is staying mum for now on any potential pricing or specification adjustments.
That features whether or not the lineup will likely be adjusted, although the approval paperwork checklist Lux, Extremely and GT variants.
Presently, the Ora lineup includes Customary Vary, Prolonged Vary, and Prolonged Vary GT variants. The primary two characteristic the identical stage of specification, however differ by way of battery dimension.
There was beforehand an Extremely variant, which constructed on the Prolonged Vary with some extra niceties like heated, ventilated and massaging entrance seats and a panoramic sunroof, however it was axed for 2024.
Given Australia has a Free Commerce Settlement (FTA) with Thailand, because it does with China, pricing received’t essentially be affected just by the change in manufacturing sourcing.
Nevertheless, the up to date 2025 Ora revealed in China – pictured above – options some specification upgrades, together with a bigger new 14.6-inch touchscreen infotainment system changing the outdated 10.25-inch unit.
The gear shifter has been moved to the steering column, and there’s additionally a revised centre console.
The up to date Ora additionally brings vehicle-to-load (V2L) charging functionality, permitting electrical home equipment to be powered by the automobile’s battery.
Whereas the Ora is outsold by its key rivals, GWM Australia has stated it’s not seeking to stroll away from the mannequin.
To the top of Might, GWM has bought 271 Oras in Australia this 12 months, in opposition to 2017 Mg 4S and 776 BYD Dolphins.
Whereas MG and BYD additionally supply a variety of EVs in Australia and much more in China, GWM has a a lot smaller reserve of EVs to faucet as the corporate has chosen to place a larger deal with hybrid and plug-in hybrid fashions.
All of GWM’s EVs fall underneath the Ora model, and simply considered one of these – the Good Cat, varyingly often called the 03 and Funky Cat in different markets – is bought right here as merely the GWM Ora.
Notably, the Ora model has no SUVs regardless of important and rising demand for this physique model worldwide. In addition to the Good Cat, GWM additionally has the retro Ballet Cat hatchback and the Lightning Cat sedan.
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