GWM Ora 07 launched in Malaysia – electric sedan with up to 408 PS, 640 km NEDC range, from RM170k

Previewed almost exactly a month ago, the GWM Ora 07 has been launched in Malaysia. Great Wall Motor’s flagship electric vehicle looks to compete with the likes of the Tesla Model 3 and BYD Seal – and it undercuts the both of them.

As previously reported, the Ora 07 will be available in two variants, the front-wheel-drive Long Range and all-wheel-drive Performance. Prices are as follows:

• GWM Ora 07 Long Range – RM169,800
• GWM Ora 07 Performance – RM189,800

These figures are recommended retail prices (excluding on-the-road costs) and include a six-year/150,000 km warranty and an eight-year/180,000 km battery and motor warranty. There’s also a one-to-one battery replacement if its health drops below 70% during the warranty period.

Additionally, the first 500 customers will receive a free AC wallbox charger and a general warranty extension to eight years or 180,000 km, matching the battery warranty. There’s also a RM3,000 rebate in store if you’ve purchased an older GWM vehicle.

The Ora 07 is built on GWM’s Lemon platform – the same one that underpins the Good Cat – with the Long Range model shown here powered by a single front motor that produces 204 PS (150 kW) and 340 Nm of torque, enabling it to get from zero to 100 km/h in 7.9 seconds on its way to a top speed of 170 km/h. An 83.5 kWh nickel manganese cobalt (NMC) battery comes as standard and provides a range of 640 km on the rather lenient NEDC cycle.

As the name suggests, the Performance is quite a bit quicker, thanks to a second motor providing all-wheel drive and a total output of 408 PS (300 kW) and 680 Nm. This roughly halves the century sprint time to 4.3 seconds, as well as delivering a higher top speed of 180 km/h. More power equals less efficiency, so the range drops to 483 km, this time on the WLTP cycle.

Both models support just 88 kW of DC fast charging, taking 32 minutes to top up the battery from 30 to 80%. On the flip side, the Ora 07 can accept up to 11 kW of AC charging, although the quoted charging time is still a lengthy 15 hours. There’s also a 3.3 kW vehicle-to-load function, three regenerative braking settings and five drive modes – Normal, Well-Being (dulls the throttle response to make it easier to drive), Eco, Sport and Individual.

The Ora 07 measures 4,871 mm long, 1,862 mm wide, 1,500 mm tall, making it quite a bit bigger than its competition. Against its main rival, the Tesla Model 3, the GWM is 151 mm longer, 12 mm wider and 60 mm taller, while its 2,870 mm wheelbase is just five millimetres shorter.

The extra length imbues the Ora 07 with greater road presence, helped by the car’s organic Porsche-aping fastback design. The Zuffenhausen inspiration is visible in the round LED headlights, sloping rump and active rear spoiler, while the scalloped sides hints at the oft-forgotten Ferrari 612 Scaglietti. Flush pop-out door handles and an active grille shutter help deliver a low drag coefficient of 0.22.

Adding to the premium feel are the frameless windows (something the Seal doesn’t get) and triangular LED taillights. You also get alloy wheels that measure 18 inches in diameter on the Long Range (with Hankook Ventus S1 Evo 3 EV tyres) and 19 inches on the Performance, the latter featuring a striking oval design and rolling on Michelin Pilot Sport EV rubber. Red brake callipers are also exclusive to the Performance.

The supercar connotations continue on the inside, where the Ora 07 sports a slim centre console, chunky bucket seats and a hooded instrument binnacle where a 10.25-inch display resides. The car also comes with a panoramic glass roof as standard, with the rear windscreen and roof being made from a single uninterrupted piece of glass, just like in the Model 3.

In the middle sits a 12.3-inch infotainment display with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto support, along with a (much-welcomed) set of physical controls – including three vertically-arranged air-con knobs. There’s just one cupholder, however, sitting ahead of a Qi wireless charging slot.

The car also features a Super I Space function that engages the air conditioning and the seat ventilation and massagers to help occupants relax, similar to Mercedes-Benz’s Energising feature. Two modes are available, these being Sweet Mode and Cave Time, the latter displaying a fireplace animation on the centre touchscreen.

Other standard features include keyless entry and start, a head-up display, power-adjustable front seats with ventilation and massage functions, ambient lighting (replete with a rhythm mode that follows the music you’re playing), an 11-speaker Infinity sound system, a 360-degree camera system and a hands-free powered boot lid.

Safety-wise, the Ora 07 comes fully equipped with driver assists that include autonomous emergency braking, adaptive cruise control with stop and go, lane centring assist, an Intelligent Evade system that gives more space in the lane for large vehicles such as lorries, blind spot monitoring, rear cross traffic alert with auto brake, traffic sign recognition, park assist and auto high beam.

The Ora 07 is available in either grey, purple or white, with a faux leather interior in black for the Long Range model and brown for the Performance. However, for an extra RM2,500, buyers of the Long Range variant will be able to upgrade to the brown interior.

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