Up close and purr-sonal with the Ora Good Cat, the EV that will revolutionise Malaysians?

Sometimes, carmakers come up with the most interesting of names when it comes to their models. Names like the Geely Okavango, Mazda Laputa, and Perodua Nippa spring to mind but no matter how funny the Ora Good Cat’s name is, it might be the electric vehicle widely accepted by Malaysians.

It’s still too early to speculate the success of the Ora Good Cat in Malaysia but up north in Thailand, the Good Cat has been the talk of the Kingdom with more than 10,000 bookings received in just a week. Talk about being a pussycat magnet.

For now, there is only one unit of the Good Cat (a literal translation of its Chinese name, Haomao) in the country and it is currently on display at Go Auto’s showroom in Glenmarie. Go Auto is the Malaysian distributor of Haval, one of a few sub-brands under Chinese automotive giant, Great Wall Motors (GWM).

Also read: Spied: We got up close and personal with the Ora Good Cat in Malaysia

With GWM setting Thailand as its base for ASEAN markets, Go Auto is planning to relaunch itself with 4 new models in July 2022 according to sources close to the company. The models that are planned to be introduced are the Haval H6 and Jolion (which will be badged as the Haval H2), the GWM Pao, and the Ora Good Cat.

Also read: Confirmed: GWM to enter Malaysia with Haval H6 and Jolion, 2022 to see more Chinese brands

Even though the Good Cat looks like a petite hatchback, its dimensions are much closer to the Proton X50. Having said that, it doesn’t look massive in real life and is a lot cuter in person.

The Good Cat with its adorable big anime eyes headlights and curvy looks makes it look like a proper car that seems fitting with the ladies but it’s also quite smitten to men. It is designed by a former Porsche designer, Emanuel Derta, so there are elements of the 911 on the Good Cat’s shape.

The unit on display is left-hand drive (LHD) as at the time when it was brought in, the Good Cat was only available in China. Thailand is the first right-hand-drive (RHD) market and it was only introduced in the Kingdom in late-2021.

Also read: GWM Thailand confirms CKD plans EVs, Ora Good Cat nets 10k bookings in 7 days

Just like the GWM Pao we covered earlier, the Good Cat is now registered but it is only available for viewing. We’ve covered the exterior before, so let’s hop inside and see how up to snuff this Chinese EV is.

Also read: Launching in Malaysia in July 2022, can the GWM Pao outdo the Hilux and D-Max?

The interior of the Good Cat is just as funky as the exterior with a simple and minimalist design. Sitting on top of the dash is a dual-widescreen setup comprising a 7-inch digital instrument display and a 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment display.

The latter is also where the air-cond controls are located though the switch to turn it on is a physical toggle button in the centre of the dash. These switches are similar in design to the ones used in the MINI and add some retro touches to the Good Cat.

Though the Good Cat is mainly designed for Chinese buyers in mind, it’s quite thoughtful for the interior designers to add a bit of Malaysian flair in the Good Cat. Apart from the cupholders to store whatever frappe/bubble tea, there’s a little hook in front to hang your teh tarik ikat tepi for that quintessential Malaysian way of drinking.

The Ora Good Cat feels and looks premium overall but it is a bit lacking in convenient features, especially for rear passengers. The cupholders on the doors aren’t easy to reach and there’s only one USB charging port in the back. Plus, the plastic materials on the door panels feel scratchy and hard.

Minor niggles aside, the Good Cat's seats are comfortable with some support but we would need to give it a whirl on the roads to see just how well it truly fares. The Good Cat strikes a chord when it comes to first impressions for sure.

This particular Good Cat is powered by a 145 PS/210 Nm permanent magnet synchronous motor which sends power to the front wheels. That motor itself is powered by a 63.1 kWh ternary lithium battery and offers a maximum range of 500 km.

The Good Cat supports DC fast charging of up to 60 kW and AC charging of up to 6.6 kW. Standard AC charging takes 8 hours to fully charge while DC fast charging from 30% to 80% takes around 30 minutes.

Also read: Confused by EV terms? Here's everything you need to know

Granted, a Go Auto representative told WapCar that the Malaysian-spec Good Cat would be similar to the Thai units. So aside from the 500 km range variant, there could be another variant with a smaller 47.8 kWh lithium-ion phosphate (LFP) battery and shorter range (400 km).

So, we can expect the features shown on this LHD Chinese unit will also be carried over into the upcoming Malaysian unit as the features on both the Thai and Chinese market Good Cat are similar. These include:

• Wireless charger
• Panoramic sunroof
• 360-degree all-around camera
• Smart key and QuickStart system

Like any modern electric vehicle, the Good Cat comes with ADAS and on this particular unit features:

• Adaptive cruise control (ACC)
• AEB
• Lane keep assist (LKA) with lane centering and steering correction
• Lane departure warning (LDW)
• Blindspot monitoring system
• Lane change assist

In Thailand, prices for the Ora Good Cat range from THB 989k to THB 1.2 million (~RM 123k – 150k) while a source within Go Auto has said that prices for the Malaysian Good Cat could be around RM 130k to 150k.

Also read: Ora Good Cat on display at KLCC, 501 km range, circa RM 130k price possible

It’s still not sub-RM 100k but on first impressions, the retro-looking kitty car might be the spark that revolutionises Malaysia’s perception on EVs. The funky looks would definitely catch some stares like an Oyen doing typical Oyen things.

Also read: Ora Good Cat, Mazda MX-30, Lexus UX 300e, and 8 other EVs launching in Malaysia in 2022