Coming Soon: Ora 07 – prices, specs and release date

This is the Ora 07, a fully electric five-seat fastback and rival for the Tesla Model 3. It’s the second car that the Chinese brand will bring to the UK, following the 03 (formerly the Funky Cat), and will be available towards the end of 2024.
• Four-door ‘fastback’ with electric-only power • Design is a take on “retro-futuristic”. Also an egg. More below. • Two battery options: 64kWh and 83kWh with 273- and 354-mile ranges • Two motor options: 150kW (201hp) and 300kW (402hp), the latter four-wheel drive • 204 horsepower version cracks 62mph in just 4.5 seconds • Kit includes panoramic glass roof, heated sports seats and Level 2 autonomous driving • Prices should start at around £35,000, topping out close to £45,000

The Ora brand was only established in 2018 by Great Wall Motors, which means that it doesn’t really have any brand heritage of note to lean on; Ora's first two models, the Ora iQ and the Black Cat, were – to put it kindly – ‘inspired by’ the Polestar 2 and the Honda-e respectively. Neither came to the UK. It’s fair to say that the Ora 03 forged its own design path – one that the 07 follows. The 03 is a modern twist on a '90s hatchback, and the '07 takes some of those cues then adds elements of a “streamliner”, much like the Hyundai Ioniq 6. It’s low and sweepy and coupe-like, and Ora designer Andrew Dyson claims one of the main inspirations was... an egg. Yep. Looking at the 07, it makes sense, somehow. Clearly, the Tesla Model 3 has had an influence, though.
That influence is almost certainly why the 07 will be available in low- and high-power guises. Specification isn’t confirmed yet, but we know that Pure, Pro and Pro+ spec levels will be offered with a single electric motor, and there’ll be a full-fat GT version, featuring twin motors for 402 horsepower.

Interior and technology

Whatever you make of the exterior (which even Ora admits will split opinion), the 07’s interior is far less divisive. Classically luxurious, even. Very different to the 03, it features an instrument cowl with three circular digital displays, while a high-set central touchscreen handles infotainment. Thankfully, a separate button panel and set of dials handle comfort functions; the 03’s 'everything-on-the-screen' user interface is infuriatingly clunky to use.
Quality feels exceptional throughout (we had a good poke around the 07 at the Beijing motor show), with soft-touch surfaces wrapped in leather-style material in all the right places, and the driving position is especially sporty thanks to low seating and a very high-set centre console reminiscent of the – dare we say it – Porsche 918 Spyder. While there’s no truly ground-breaking tech in the 07, Ora claims “an above-average number of extras as standard”, and it’s packed with safety stuff. All cars will get electrically adjustable and heated front seats, voice activation, 360-degree surround cameras for parking (including a ‘transparent chassis’ view), and Level 2 autonomous driving. That means it’ll start and stop itself in low-speed traffic, as well as having adaptive cruise control with self-steering to keep the car in lane. The 07 is quite a long and tall car – exceeding the Tesla Model 3 a little in both respects – and feels spacious up front. But rear space is tighter than ideal, owing to the sweeping back end and the raised height of the floor housing the battery. Legroom is good, though – the wheelbase is almost identical to the Tesla’s – and most sub-six-footers will feel comfy enough.

No word on efficiency yet, but we do have claimed ranges for both battery options when they’re paired with the single 201-horsepower electric motor. The smaller 64kWh battery has a 273-mile claimed range, and the larger 83kWh unit a 354-mile one. And in GT trim – the only 07 that comes with twin 201-horsepower motors (for 402 horsepower, 680Nm of torque and four-wheel drive), the range is 323 miles. In short, every Ora 07 provides decent range, which while not quite class-leading (a Long Range Tesla Model 3 claims 390 miles, and a VW ID.7 386 miles), should be more than enough for most.

The 07 will be available towards the back end of 2024. Pricing will be confirmed shortly, but Ora will almost certainly play the value card by undercutting EVs of similar size, tech and quality. We expect all 07s to sit in the £35-45,000 price bracket, putting it beneath each of the aforementioned EVs. In addition, we wouldn’t be surprised to see the 07 follow the path of the 03, which is currently available on startlingly cheap finance deals that bear very little relation to the car’s list price – loss-making, basically.

Ora hasn’t outlined any concrete new model plans beyond the 07, although it has said that an SUV-style crossover will be its next model, and probably one on the smaller side. Think ‘raised 03’, aimed at cars like the new Mini Aceman, MG4 or Hyundai Kona Electric.

There’s nothing we know about that quite squares up with the 07 in style terms, although there are of course plenty of new electric cars on the horizon that will appeal to those looking for something a little different, a little niche. The Alfa Romeo Junior crossover, for instance. Or the Mini Aceman (albeit that’s not ‘niche’ in the same way the 07 is). The BYD Han saloon has been available in Europe for about a year now, although it’s not confirmed for the UK yet.