We can rebuild it! New models promised as China’s struggling Ora EV brand set for Australian overhaul and expansion from 2026
GWM Australia is hatching a plan to rebirth its forgotten electric vehicle brand Ora.
But you are going to have to wait around 12 months to hear what that plan entails.
For now, Ora is taking a backseat while GWM Australia is rolling out a new generation of hybrid, plug-in hybrid and orthodox ICE powertrains across its other Australian brands, Cannon, Haval and Tank.
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Then, attention will swing back to Ora, an expansion of its line-up and the introduction of EVs to the other GWM Australia brands.
“We have a story for Ora but that’s for 2026 onwards,” GWM Australia COO John Kett told EV Central.
Although a muti-car brand in China, Ora launched in Australian in 2023 with only a single eponymous mini-car offered in a variety of specifications.
Despite several attempts at repricing and repositioning, it has languished behind logical affordable rivals, the BYD Dolphin and MG4 in the sales charts.
In 2024 GWM Australia sold 1225 Oras, BYD sold 2116 Dolphins while the MG4 dominated the three-cornered cheap EV fight thanks to some serious discounting toward the end of the year with 6934 sales.
Ora will be revitalised with new-generation EVs that have yet to be revealed.
That means the Ora Sport ‘mini Taycan’ electric four door driven by Australian media back in early 2023 is almost certainly not coming here.
“There is significant developments going on behind the scene on other Ora models,” confirmed GWM marketing and communications chief Steve Maciver.
“[We just] can’t talk about them.
“Ora will maintain its position, in fact it will be a pillar of this brand.”
GWM Australia has committed to rolling out 15 new and significantly updated models out to the end of 2026, but it is as yet unclear if any of them will be EVs.
But with announcements due by the end of the year, new Oras could be part of the 2026 local roll-out.
Some of them could be previewed as soon as the huge Shanghai show in April.
Because of its strong PHEV commitment, GWM Australia believes it is building itself a buffer against needing to rush more EVs into Australia sooner to meet the reducing CO2 limits specified under the New Vehicle Efficiency Standard (NVES).
“Ora can grow, Ora can meet some NVES objective, but the reality is Ora needs to stand there as an EV brand in its own right,” said Kett.
GWM Australia has this week revealed substantial growth plans this week that includes 70,000-plus annual sales and a top five position in the market within a few years. It made it to the top 10 sellers in 10th place for the first time in 2024.
“It’s clear for us where we need to take EV,” said Kett.
“I suppose [there is] pressure on us to resolve EV and Ora. There is less pressure … to resolve that because PHEV will build that pathway for us.
“But we are going to have to get Ora and our EV portfolio [resolved]. We will talk to those question at the end of 2025 and into 2026.
“[The answers] to those questions will become clearer.
“I feel incredibly comfortable from the inside that we have it resolved and the tempo that we are going at and making sure when we bring in this incredible [EV] technology it’s practical and adopted quickly.
