Ora Good Cat: Priced like a Honda City hybrid in Thailand but costs RM 25k more in Malaysia, this is the reason

If you have travelled to Bangkok recently, you would’ve noticed that the funky looking Ora Good Cat is everywhere in Thailand’s capital city. The funky looking China-made EV model by Great Wall Motors is currently Thailand’s No.1 selling battery EV (BEV) model, with a market share of nearly 50 percent, and it’s easy to understand why.

With a starting price of THB 828,500 (~RM 105k), Thai buyers can buy either a Honda City e:HEV hybrid or the fully electric Ora Good Cat, which even in its cheapest 400 Tech variant with a 47.8 kWh battery, is good for 400 km (NEDC method).

Although the Good Cat is still nowhere near as practical as the go-anywhere-fuel-up-anywhere Honda sedan, its low price and reasonable range are enough to convince fence sitters to give battery EVs a try.

In Malaysia, the Ora Good Cat is priced from RM 139,800 to RM 169,800 for the 400 Pro and 500 Ultra respectively - quite far up from a Honda City's price, which tops out at RM 108,800.

The Ora Good Cat is now the cheapest battery EV (BEV) model on sale in Malaysia. Like Thailand, the Ora is also imported (CBU) from China but since it is a BEV, it is exempted from Malaysia’s import and excise tax until 31-December 2023.

Yes, Budget 2023 did mention that the period of exemption will be exempted until 31-December 2024 but since the Parliament was dissolved just days later, that Budget was never passed and therefore isn’t valid. So the 31-December 2023 cut-off date remains.

Our Malaysian specifications Ora Good Cat is identical to the ones sold in Thailand, with our 400 Pro variant starting there at an equivalent price of ~RM 114k (THB 898,500). That’s RM 25k less than what Great Wall Motor dealers in Malaysia charge (RM 139,800).

For reference, Thailand's Honda City e:HEV RS tops out at THB 839,000 (~RM 106k).

The range topping 500 Ultra sells in Malaysia for RM 169,800, which is around RM 27k more than in Thailand.

The fact that the Ora Good Cat is cheaper in Thailand even though there’s nominal 2 percent excise tax there for BEVs, versus Malaysia’s 0 percent import tax, excise tax, and road tax, raises some questions.

The answer is because on top of the tax cuts, Thailand is also giving BEV models a THB 150,000 (~RM 19,000) subsidy. In other words, the Thai government isn’t just cutting taxes on BEVs, but is returning them their tax money when they buy such cars.

To avoid the subsidies from going into pockets of the super-rich, qualified BEV models must be priced below THB 2 million – basically less than the price of the cheapest BMW model sold there, specifically the 220i Gran Coupe M Sport.

The remaining circa RM 6k difference in prices is likely to be down to differences in wholesale price since the Thai importer is obviously committing to a far higher volume than the Malaysian importer. Our weaker Ringgit against the strong Thai Baht has also amplified the difference. The difference in cost is actually less than the direct conversion between these two currencies suggest.

Also read: Cheapest EV with 500 km range? Ora Good Cat launched in Malaysia; priced from RM 140k, full ADAS among features

Regardless, we think Great Wall Motors Malaysia has done its best given the limits and challenges of Malaysia’s smaller car market (nearly 60 percent dominated by Proton and Perodua, thus making Malaysia’s sales volume potential far less attractive).

The difference in prices versus Thailand doesn’t change the fact that the Ora Good Cat is still the most affordable battery EV in Malaysia.

It should also be mentioned that the car’s selling price includes a portable charger and a 7 kW home charger, 5-year/150,000 km warranty, 8- year/180,000 km battery warranty, and 5 times free maintenance (labour only).

Anyway, this cross-country price comparison is futile academic exercise because GWM Thailand has since suspended sales of the regular Ora Good Cat, and is only collecting bookings for the more expensive Ora Good Cat GT. The reason is because sales has been too good and the company has since sold out its allocation.

The company recently announced that it will soon be accepting bookings for another 2,000 cars but prices have yet to be confirmed.

Also read: First impressions of the Ora Good Cat EV in Malaysia, launching this month