The GWM Ora electric vehicle (known as the Good Cat), which has been on sale in Australia since 2023, is set to become the first model from a Chinese brand to be manufactured outside of China specifically for the Australian market. According to Australian government approval documents, GWM plans to shift production of the Ora to its factory in Rayong, Thailand, instead of continuing production in China.

This factory was formerly owned by General Motors and was previously used to build Holden (Chevrolet) Colorado utes and Trailblazer SUVs for the Australian market. GM sold the plant to GWM in February 2020, coinciding with the official discontinuation of the Holden brand.

Currently, GWM's Rayong facility manufactures several models including the Poer (Cannon), Poer Sahar (Cannon Alpha), hybrid versions of the Haval H6 and Jolion, and the Tank 300 and Tank 500 SUVs — along with the Ora Good Cat.

Thailand was Australia’s second-largest source of imported vehicles in 2024, with 272,139 deliveries (mostly utes and large SUVs), trailing only Japan (378,911 units), and ahead of China (176,159), South Korea (157,760), and Germany (57,544).

The Ora Good Cat, one of the most affordable electric vehicles in Australia, has been produced in China since its 2023 launch. However, in April, GWM announced new investments in the Rayong plant to meet growing domestic and international demand, with exports to Australia, New Zealand, and Brazil set to begin from the second quarter of 2025.

GWM already exports vehicles from its Thai facility to various Southeast Asian countries including Indonesia, Vietnam, and Malaysia. James Yang, Vice President of Overseas Markets at GWM, said in April: “This will be the first time we export the Ora Good Cat, creating a major opportunity for business growth from our large-scale production plant in Rayong.”

Yang added, “The Rayong plant is GWM’s second full-scale production site outside China, and GWM will continue to invest in Thailand to establish the country as a global automotive manufacturing and export hub.”

Currently, about 50 percent of components used in Thai-built GWM vehicles are locally sourced, but the company aims to increase this proportion to further enhance production efficiency.

According to government documents, the Ora Standard Range will be renamed to “Lux” and the Extended Range to “Ultra,” with slight differences in tare weight compared to Chinese-built models. A GT variant is also listed and may be reintroduced in the future.

Source: drive.com.au