The Chinese company behind the Ora Funky Cat will expand its portfolio by bringing SUV brand Haval to the UK next year – and it will undercut many of its well-established competitors on price. Great Wall Motor launched the Ora brand here in 2022 with the electric hatchback (renamed the GWM Ora 03 last year), and it's now moving to “provide a wider choice for customers as it enhances its overall product offering”.
Previously officially named GWM Ora, the company will now rebrand as simply GWM in the UK. All its dealers will adopt a new look in February, coinciding with the start of deliveries of the first Haval model, the Jolion Pro. It's a hybrid SUV that’s roughly the same size as the Nissan X-Trail and Kia Sorento but substantially cheaper, with prices starting at £23,995. It's powered by a 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine and an electric motor within a seven-speed automatic gearbox for a combined 188bhp and 277lb ft of torque. GWM quotes a 0-62mph time of 8.5sec and claims the Jolion Pro hybrid can achieve an average of 55mpg. The cabin is characteristically minimalist, with the dashboard topped by a 12.3in central touchscreen and a digital gauge cluster. There is a panel of physical buttons below the screen, though, and several more on the steering wheel and centre console. GWM said the Jolion Pro had already “proven hugely successful in markets like Australia”. The company will be hoping that the addition of a new line of hybrid SUVs will boost its footprint in the UK, having sold just 3000 examples of the Funk Cat/Ora 03 since launch. GWM is the latest of many global car makers to turn to hybrids as a means of bolstering sales amid a downturn in demand for EVs in Europe. BYD, for example, has confirmed plans to launch three new plug-hybrid models in Europe in 2025, having initially launched with a five-strong EV line-up. GWM UK’s managing director, Toby Marshall, hailed the arrival of Haval as “a new era for GWM in the UK”