GWM has announced a new strategic brand direction for its automotive subsidiaries in Europe, evolving from a ‘house of brands’ to a ‘branded house’ architecture.
In the UK market, GWM will adopt a phased approach to the implementation of its new brand strategy, focusing initially on a new naming convention for GWM ORA models. GWM ORA’s launch model, the ORA Funky Cat, will soon adopt the model name ‘ORA 03’, with additional models to follow the same approach.
The ‘Next Cat’ as it’s currently known in the UK is the second GWM ORA model that is planned to launch in 2024. This premium saloon was unveiled at Full Charged Live in April 2023, and will used the model name ‘ORA 07’ when it launches next year.
Toby Marshall, Managing Director at GWM ORA UK, commented: “After one year of operations in the UK market, the GWM ORA UK team has made exceptional progress. This latest brand strategy update affirms GWM’s commitment to the European region and the UK market in particular, where ORA Funky Cat has made a real statement already. We now move forward into 2024 and beyond with a new global brand strategy and many exciting new products on the horizon. I look forward to sharing more news about our full ORA 03 line-up and our highly-anticipated ORA 07 very soon.”
The GWM ORA numerical naming system is already used in markets such as South Africa, Australia, Singapore, and the Philippines, with all European markets set to adopt this approach from January 2024. A model’s allocated number will directly correlate with the size of the vehicle; for example, lower numbers will represent a smaller model within the GWM product range. This flexible and simplified naming strategy has been designed to transcend demographical bias, with scope to introduce many new and exciting GWM ORA products that will appeal to a wide-ranging audience.
Physically, in terms of design and build, the GWM ORA models will remain unchanged, and the new naming convention will only be reflected in the brand’s marketing and communications.
There are currently two models on sale in the UK: the ORA Funky Cat First Edition and the newly-launched ORA Funky Cat First Edition+, which is limited to just 50 units. The brand’s second model to launch in the UK, the ORA Funky Cat First Edition+ features a very high standard specification. Most notably, it hosts GWM ORA’s 63kWh battery, offering 260 miles of range. In addition, customers benefit from features like heated, cooled, and massaging front seats, a heated steering wheel, panoramic sunroof, automatic tailgate, and automatic parking assistance.
The ORA Funky Cat First Edition+ also shares a lot of technology with the brand’s launch model, including: wireless phone charging, facial recognition, electric front seats, app integration, and ‘Hello ORA’ intelligent voice assistance.
