WhichEV.Net
  • Buying Advice
  • Events
  • Features
  • News
    • All
    • Charging
    • Commercial Vehicles
    • Consumer Vehicles
    • Cool Car Tech
    • Curiosities
    • Design
    • Energy
    • Environment
    • Industry
    • Legal
    • Market
    • Motorsport
    • Public Sector
    • Records
    • Rumours
    • Safety
    • Sharing

    StoreDot develops EV battery with game-changing 5-minute charge time

    Fleet vehicle operators could save £17 million a year with EVs says Citroen

    YourParkingSpace rebrands to focus on EV parking

    Swytch any bicycle into an electric bike for less than £1,000?

    General Motors rebrands itself for an electrified future

    Tesla Model S and X refresh could be on way as salespeople told to liquidate stock

    Trending Tags

  • Reviews
No Result
View All Result
WhichEV.Net
  • Buying Advice
  • Events
  • Features
  • News
    • All
    • Charging
    • Commercial Vehicles
    • Consumer Vehicles
    • Cool Car Tech
    • Curiosities
    • Design
    • Energy
    • Environment
    • Industry
    • Legal
    • Market
    • Motorsport
    • Public Sector
    • Records
    • Rumours
    • Safety
    • Sharing

    StoreDot develops EV battery with game-changing 5-minute charge time

    Fleet vehicle operators could save £17 million a year with EVs says Citroen

    YourParkingSpace rebrands to focus on EV parking

    Swytch any bicycle into an electric bike for less than £1,000?

    General Motors rebrands itself for an electrified future

    Tesla Model S and X refresh could be on way as salespeople told to liquidate stock

    Trending Tags

  • Reviews
No Result
View All Result
WhichEV.Net
No Result
View All Result
Home News Consumer Vehicles Cars

How will European brands react to a sub-£8,000 electric car with four doors?

Jere Johansson by Jere Johansson
11th April 2020
in Cars, Consumer Vehicles, News, Production
Reading Time: 3min read
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Great Wall Motor’s electric vehicle division ‘Ora’ has recently released its first model and flagship, the R1. What makes it shine among the masses is the possibility that it is the world's cheapest, fully functional EV. Despite the significantly lower running costs, price is clearly a factor for many when looking t make to switch to electric. WhichEV checks the value that GWM is likely to be offering.

We've tried the Renault Twizy and we were present for the launch of Citroen's Ami – but both of them are ‘special requirement scenario' vehicles. GWM is offering something with a full set of wheels and doors, for a lot less than we're used to paying.

That price tag will be around £7,800 (69,800 RMB or US$8,600), which makes it slightly cheaper than a brand-new Twizy and more than the Ami. Unlike the tiny two-seat car (or for some quadricycle) from Renault, the Ora R1 is an urban-purpose 4-door hatchback. It’s about the size of a Smart Forfour and looks almost exactly like one with some styling notes from the Honda e. You won’t be receiving any luxurious materials adorning the insides like the Honda e, but you can expect a reverse camera, nine-inch infotainment touch screen and a rotary gear selector.

GWM claims that the 33kWh battery pack will give you up to 194 miles of range on a single charge. However, that number is presented to you by the NEDC, often deemed to be less accurate. Consequently, don’t be too surprised if it produces closer to 150 miles of real-world range. It does come with a three-year or 75,000 mile (120,000 km) guarantee for the whole vehicle, as well as an eight-year or 93,000 mile (150,000 km) guarantee for core components like the battery.

Great Wall Motors claims that it will get up to 80 percent in 40 minutes with fast charger. Plug it into a basic home charger and a complete refill will take up to 9 hours. Performance-wise, the 125 Nm permanent front-positioned magnet motor can propel the vehicle up to 63mph (101 km/h).

Currently only available in China, the first market the Ora R1 will venture into is the Indian EV market, that is presently populated by brands like Hyundai with their Kona. Great Wall Motor has previously shown interest in bringing the Ora electric brand to the rest of the world.

The global electric vehicle market is dominated by major players such as Tesla, BMW, Volkswagen, and Nissan. It makes you wonder if the Ora R1 could bring a new mass-market Chinese presence to the Western EV market.

Ning Shuyong, general manager of Ora and vice president of Great Wall Motor, said: “Ora replaces the traditional sales, service, spare parts and surveys (4S) dealership-centred model that is common in China with a network consisting of Ora Home, experience centres and smart outlets in the central business districts of Chinese cities”.

The system that Ora R1 will apparently adopt seems very similar to Tesla’s direct-to-customer sales model. Overall, it's aimed at reducing visits to service centres.

Target markets for the Ora R1 could be those who currently buy pre-owned vehicles as second or third cars in a family – perhaps looking for their first experience of an electric car – to test out just how green, new and affordable EVs can be. Older/retired people might find the small hatchback a suitable drive for short and infrequent trips.

We have to ask, “Is the price tag is tempting enough for buyers in Europe to take a leap and look to Great Wall Motors for their next vehicle?”. We'll know the answer to that when GWM puts down a timeline for importation.

In 2019, the new vehicle sales volume of Great Wall Motors (outside of China), was close to 65,000 units. That's a year on year increase of almost 40%. Clearly there is some appeal for a complete, affordable EV.

For now, we don't have specific dates, just an announcement from GWM's senior management team that they will consider setting up a European plant when exports to the region have reached 50,000 vehicles.

If the car delivers on its promise, then existing manufacturers will have to step-up to the competition – and quickly. Right now, Renault, Vauxhall, Fiat and Nissan all believe that an entry-level electric car costs close to £30,000. The Ora R1 promises to cost less than a third of that price.

We call that ‘Game On' for European consumers, as China moves to being a car manufacturing superpower over the coming decade.

Tags: GWMOra
Previous Post

Our skies are now as clear as they will be in 2030

Next Post

Tesla Model 3 Review

Jere Johansson

Jere Johansson

Born in Finland with a passion for driving and electric cars, Jere approaches all of his reports with a keen eye for the financials that underpin the story.

Related Posts

StoreDot develops EV battery with game-changing 5-minute charge time

22nd January 2021

Fleet vehicle operators could save £17 million a year with EVs says Citroen

22nd January 2021

YourParkingSpace rebrands to focus on EV parking

21st January 2021

Swytch any bicycle into an electric bike for less than £1,000?

21st January 2021
Next Post

Tesla Model 3 Review

Discussion about this post

Latest News

StoreDot develops EV battery with game-changing 5-minute charge time

22nd January 2021

Fleet vehicle operators could save £17 million a year with EVs says Citroen

22nd January 2021

YourParkingSpace rebrands to focus on EV parking

21st January 2021

Trending

  • How to turn your favourite classic car into an EV

    624 shares
    Share 304 Tweet 133
  • Future electric cars: The best upcoming electric cars, SUVs and pickup trucks – UPDATED!

    419 shares
    Share 201 Tweet 91
  • WhichEV Awards 2020: The Year’s Best EVs

    460 shares
    Share 261 Tweet 83
  • How will European brands react to a sub-£8,000 electric car with four doors?

    455 shares
    Share 261 Tweet 81
  • MG ZS EV review: The best budget all-electric SUV

    328 shares
    Share 142 Tweet 78
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact the WhichEV team today

© 2020 WhichEV. Limited - All of the independent news and expert reviews you need in one publication.

No Result
View All Result
  • Buying Advice
  • Events
  • Features
  • News
  • Reviews

© 2020 WhichEV. Limited - All of the independent news and expert reviews you need in one publication.

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.