The Ora Ballet Cat is an all-electric car explicitly designed from the ground up to appeal to female drivers in China, although a more neutral version should arrive later on. The vehicle embodies everything that its manufacturer believes women desire. The marketing goes as far as to highlight a ‘Warm Man Mode’ as a special mode for women on their period. Pushing the button spreads gentle warmth around the cabin and heats up the seats as well.
Large makeup mirrors built into the sun
visors come with edge backlight to let drivers ensure they look perfect before
getting out of the car. The steering wheel has been thinned so as to be
convenient for the average woman’s hand to grip. And in case you still didn’t
get the message somehow, there is an in-built selfie camera capable of making
photos and automatically uploading them to social networks, no phone required.
Glossing over such minor touches as a
beauty bag tucked in under the middle armrest, there is a special drive mode
for female drivers on board called “Wind and Wave”. Enabling it engages
adaptive cruise control, anti-fog lights and rain sensors, raises the windows
and adjusts the HVAC for optimal climate. Another setting, called “Lady Driving
Mode”, safeguards the ladies from making easy driving mistakes by forcing
electronic assists into high performance mode and providing helpful voice
guidance from the speakers. The same theme oozes from the trim materials and
colors: everything outside and inside the car wears a cute girly pastel finish
in either pink or blue (granted, there could be other options as well that we
have not seen yet).
The car itself measures 4,401x1,880x1,663
millimeters L/W/H with the wheelbase spanning 2,750 mm. As an electric
five-seater, it weighs in at a no-nonsense 1,780 kilos. The only
electric motor is mounted on the front axle and drives the wheels with 171 PS and 250 Nm of torque. The car does not accelerate
beyond 155 km/h, although we are hope the speed limit is in no way
related to the overarching theme discussed above. Buyers can go with the
standard 49.9-kWh traction battery and get 401 km of CLTC-rated
range or opt for a premium 60.5-kWh battery to cover 500 km on a
charge.
