Somewhat more than a years earlier, I extremely almost purchased a Mitsuoka Viewt. Mitsuoka is a small Japanese car maker that takes other individuals’s chassis and puts beautiful, rather pastiche-y, retro-look bodies on them. The Viewt is mechanically a Nissan Micra (normally a K11 or K12 design) however with a body that appears like a truncated, cartoon-style Jaguar MkII saloon (the Inspector Morse one). I dabbled the concept for a while, however ultimately decreased the more reasonable (ahem) path of purchasing an initial Mini rather. I’ve been sorry for that choice since.
I state this due to the fact that, bring up to see a phalanx of Ora Funky Cats parked outdoors is a bit like appearing to an initial Volkswagen Beetle cosplay celebration. As with the Viewt, you can inform quickly that this is not an initial Beetle, however it’s such a close facsimile (a minimum of from the front) that you may simply double-take.
The Funky Cat is an arrestingly retro style, a reality enhanced if you choose among the pastel two-tone palette. It favorably shouts 1960s at you however is, obviously, under the skin a really, extremely modern-day car.
An extremely modern-day Chinese car in truth. Ora is a brand-new brand name, however it’s part of the vast Great Wall Motors empire, an empire that has actually had an Irish station in the past with IM Group, the Subaru importer for Ireland, having formerly, briefly, generated some Great Wall pickup.
Ora’s strategy is to follow on from the huge Korean brand names, and prior to them the Japanese car makers – sharp rates, great deals of set and a long service warranty
IM Group is managing Ora too, and has actually designated what it calls some “blue chip” Irish dealerships for the cutesy brand-new electrical hatchback – Linders in Dublin, Connolly’s in Galway, and Blackwater Motors in Cork. Those 3 dealerships will suffice in the meantime, says IM Group, as Ora constructs its existence here. A Tesla Model 3-rivalling four-door saloon, which looks extremely, extremely like an initial Porsche Panamera, is due prior to year’s end, and a compact SUV will get here next year.
[ Ora Funky Cat is coming to jazz up our EV driving ]
Chinese in ownership and build it might be, however the Funky Cat has some German DNA too. Great Wall Motors has a collaboration with none besides BMW, and its European workplaces lie within yelling range of BMW’s Munich HQ. The 2 car makers are teaming up on the next-generation electrical Mini, which will be integrated in China and which will share the very same platform as the Funky Cat.
As with other Chinese entrants into the Irish market, such as the restored MG, Ora’s strategy is to follow on from the huge Korean brand names, and prior to them the Japanese car makers – sharp rates, great deals of set and a long service warranty. So the Funky Cat shows up with a rate of €31,995 for the 300 Pro design, which features a 48kWh battery providing a declared series of 310km, or €39,995 for the 400 Pro+ design, which has a 63kWh battery and a 420km variety.
Tempting rate
Price-sensible, the base variation takes on the similarity the Renault Zoe and Peugeot e-208, however uses substantially more cabin space and basic equipment, while the longer-range design uses equivalent space and variety to a VW ID.3 or Renault Megane however at a more appealing rate. A five-year, unrestricted mileage service warranty is basic, with the battery being covered for 8 years and 160,000km. It’s worth keeping in mind that both designs are damaged by the excellent MG4, however.
That said, the MG4 doesn’t have a cabin as nice as the Funky Cat’s. Some have bandied about comparisons to Hyundai’s luxury brand, Genesis, when it comes to cabin quality but that’s a bit of hyperbole. There are too many cheap plastics for that, but the main surfaces – the suedette dash top, the quilted faux-leather seats, the impressive touchscreen and digital instrument panel – are a cut above what you get in the MG. Or, for that matter, the VW ID.3. Space is excellent too, with lounging space for six-footers in the back seat, although at 228 litres the boot is irritatingly tiny – a holdover from the Mini connection, perhaps?
The steering wheel, when asked to turn into a corner, will only agree to pencil in a meeting with the front wheels for a general chit-chat which may or may not include a reference to how much front grip you’ve got. A driver’s car it ain’t
If the new Mini is going to be connected to the Ora Funky Cat, then it will need some considerable chassis tuning. Our test drive took place entirely on tight and twisty country roads and it’s fair to say that this cat doesn’t like to be pushed around (what cat does?). It’s perfectly competent, with a decent ride quality and good refinement but the steering wheel, when asked to turn into a corner, will only agree to pencil in a meeting with the front wheels for a general chit-chat which may or may not include a reference to how much front grip you’ve got. A driver’s car it ain’t.
It will be a good commuter’s car, though. Our 400 Pro+ test car was showing a range of 386km on an 80 per cent battery charge, and the 170hp front-wheel drive electric motor provides decent, if not exceptional, thrust.
[ The Irish Times Car of the Year for 2023 is… the MG4 ]
[ The new car brands you haven’t heard of yet ]
There is one slightly concerning item – embedded on the driver’s side windscreen pillar, there’s a small camera that reads your face, automatically adjusting the seating position, heating settings etc to your liking. It’s a system that we’ve seen before, notably in some Subaru designs, but the fact that the car is made in China and reads you face may give some people more than a little pause when it comes to privacy and surveillance issues. Then again, we’re all perfectly happy to have our China-made phones read our faces and unlock our bank accounts, and for what it’s worth Ora says that all the data is kept on servers in Munich and is subject to strict EU GDPR regulations. Maybe just steer away from any passing balloons…
Will Irish buyers flock to such an overtly retro, cutesy-looking car with an odd name? Previous experience with the revived 2000s and 2010s VW Beetle suggests they may not, but the times are a-changing and the Cat’s excellent electric performance might tip the balance. Equally, the Funky Cat is currently in stock for immediate order (some 260 are already in Ora’s hands in Ireland, with another 600 or so expected to arrive shortly), so the very truth of having the ability to physically purchase one may be enough for numerous.
Me? I’m still scanning the classifieds for a Mitsuoka Viewt…
