Ora Funky Cat: Don’t be fooled by name or look of this thoroughly modern motor

Somewhat more than a decade ago, I very nearly bought a Mitsuoka Viewt. Mitsuoka is a tiny Japanese car maker that takes other people’s chassis and puts gorgeous, somewhat pastiche-y, retro-look bodies on them. The Viewt is mechanically a Nissan Micra (usually a K11 or K12 model) but with a body that looks like a truncated, cartoon-style Jaguar MkII saloon (the Inspector Morse one). I toyed with the idea for a while, but eventually went down the more sensible (ahem) route of buying an original Mini instead. I’ve regretted that decision ever since.

I say this because, pulling up to see a phalanx of Ora Funky Cats parked outside is a bit like showing up to an original Volkswagen Beetle cosplay party. As with the Viewt, you can tell instantly that this is not an original Beetle, but it’s such a close facsimile (at least from the front) that you might just double-take.

The Funky Cat is an arrestingly retro design, a fact amplified if you go for one of the pastel two-tone colour schemes. It positively screams 1960s at you but is, of course, under the skin a very, very modern car.

A very modern Chinese car in fact. Ora is a new brand, but it’s part of the sprawling Great Wall Motors empire, an empire that has had an Irish outpost in the past with IM Group, the Subaru importer for Ireland, having previously, briefly, brought in some Great Wall pickup trucks.

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Ora’s plan is to follow on from the big Korean brands, and before them the Japanese car makers – sharp pricing, lots of kit and a long warranty

IM Group is handling Ora too, and has appointed what it calls some “blue chip” Irish dealers for the cutesy new electric hatchback – Linders in Dublin, Connolly’s in Galway, and Blackwater Motors in Cork. Those three dealers will be enough for now, says IM Group, as Ora builds its presence here. A Tesla Model 3-rivalling four-door saloon, which looks very, very like an original Porsche Panamera, is due before year’s end, and a compact SUV will arrive next year.

[ Ora Funky Cat is coming to jazz up our EV driving ]

Chinese in ownership and build it may be, but the Funky Cat has some German DNA too. Great Wall Motors has a partnership with none other than BMW, and its European offices are located within shouting distance of BMW’s Munich HQ. The two car makers are collaborating on the next-generation electric Mini, which will be built in China and which will share the same platform as the Funky Cat.

As with other Chinese entrants into the Irish market, such as the revived MG, Ora’s plan is to follow on from the big Korean brands, and before them the Japanese car makers – sharp pricing, lots of kit and a long warranty. So the Funky Cat arrives with a price of €31,995 for the 300 Pro model, which comes with a 48kWh battery offering a claimed range of 310km, or €39,995 for the 400 Pro+ model, which has a 63kWh battery and a 420km range.

Tempting price

Price-wise, the base version competes with the likes of the Renault Zoe and Peugeot e-208, but offers considerably more cabin space and standard equipment, while the longer-range model offers comparable space and range to a VW ID.3 or Renault Megane but at a more tempting price. A five-year, unlimited mileage warranty is standard, with the battery being covered for eight years and 160,000km. It’s worth noting that both models are undercut by the impressive MG4, though.

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 ]

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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 models, 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 impressive electric performance may 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 fact of being able to physically buy one might be enough for many.

Me? I’m still scanning the classifieds for a Mitsuoka Viewt…