GWM Ora EV revived! The Aussie expansion is underway: Ora 5 SUV here mid-year, with more models to follow
The revitalisation of the GWM Ora EV brand in Australia is about to begin.
Forecast by GWM Australia execs to EV Central 12 months ago, at least two new models led by the Ora 5 compact SUV are scheduled to arrive in Australia this year.
The Ora 5 should be here around mid-year and will join the Ora hatch, which is the only Ora model sold in Australia at the moment.
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The hatch has struggled for sales cut-through in Australia since its 2023 launch and its future is now under question because it is no longer sold in Thailand where it is built for Australia.
GWM Australia says it continues on for the foreseeable future.
GWM has also revealed there is a chance Ora could expand to include a plug-in hybrid model in 2026 as well.
More detail of GWM’s plans for Ora should become clear after the Beijing motor show in April.
Other key events for GWM in Australia in 2026 include the launch of a fourth brand, Wey, in the second half of 2026.
The premium brand’s first model will be the G9 PHEV people-mover. The large Blue Mountain SUV is also on the expected list for Australia.
GWM will also launch the Haval Jolion Max in Australia in 2026. Larger than the popular Jolion SUV, it is available as an EV or PHEV in China, but will likely come here only as the latter.
Other PHEV activity already announced by GWM includes the GWM Cannon ute that’s due mid-year and the Tank 300 Hi4-T that arrives in April.
Further Hi4 hybrid models will also be rolled out in Australia.
In an Australian global first, the brand is also launching a new 3.0-litre turbo-diesel engine in the Cannon Alpha and Tank 500.
Obviously, diesels are being increasingly penalised as the NVES CO2 rules bite over the next couple of years, but GWM clearly expects its increasing electrification to balance the books.
All up, as any as 10 new models are scheduled to launch across the GWM line-up in 2026 in Australia as the brand looks to build on its record 53,000 sales in 2025 and sell 60,000-plus vehicle in 2026.
It wants to be a top five brand in Australia based on sales by the end of 2027.
“The wider electrification of the GWM range, led by our class-leading technologies, is something that we firmly believe will enhance our brand position and sales momentum Down Under”, said John Kett, GWM Australia and New Zealand COO.
“Several years ago, GWM made a deliberate choice to design Hi4 and Hi4-T as class-leading examples of four-wheel electrification, engineered for outstanding performance both on and off-road.
“This relentless focus on innovation and continuous improvement is what we firmly believe will drive the next phase of our growth in Australia.”
In concert with its product expansion, GWM is also growing its dealer network in 2026, from 123 to 135 outlets nationally.
It has also grown internal staffing by 20 per cent as it seeks to elevate customer support including parts and service supply.
This has been an acknowledged weakness of some Chinese brands as they rapidly expand in Australia.
