What is the Ora Ballet Cat? It’s the feminine version of the Punk Cat, which is, legally at least, not inspired by the VW Beetle. With the Ballet Cat, horseshoe-shaped front and rear lights replace the round lights found on the Punk Cat. Chromed bumpers, mirrors, wheels, and various trim pieces look fun to maintain.
Like the rare, four-door beetle prototype,
Ora gave the Ballet Cat an elongated roofline. Having rear doors and a generous
2,750 mm wheelbase is quite an improvement over the real deal; speaking from
experience of trying to fit in the back seat of a VW beetle, it wasn’t pretty.
From the rear, a spoiler for downforce, of
course. Strangely, Ora moved its logo above the spoiler, different from the
prototype seen in Chengdu. Final “GWM Ora” and “Ballet Cat” badging are now
located on the boot.
Inside, the retro and feminine theme
continues; a pink and white dual-tone theme is present throughout the interior-
from the dash to the instrument panel and the seats. Since it’s an EV and EVs
are expected to be , a full suite of L2 driver-assist features are available.
The retro air vents and switches are very cool, but the giant faux-diamond
wireless phone charger in the middle is a bit cringe-worthy.
Ora says the Ballet Cat will be available
with 400 km and 500 km NEDC range; more importantly, pricing is stated to be a
whopping 200,000 RMB (US$ 31,300). Between Ora and WEY, GWM will have three similar retro Beetle-like
vehicles on the market, one ICE/Hybrid and two electric.
