An imminent update for the GWM Ora hatchback – one of Australia’s cheapest EVs – is expected to see sourcing switch from China to Thailand.
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The GWM Ora electric hatch, sold in Australia in its current form since 2023, is expected to become the first vehicle from a Chinese brand not to be built in its home market for Australia.
Australian government approval documents for an updated 2026 GWM Ora suggest it will be manufactured in the brand's factory in Thailand, which once built Holden Colorado utes and Trailblazer 4WDs for Australia, rather than China.
Thailand was the second-highest country of origin of cars sold in Australia in 2024, with 272,139 deliveries – mostly utes and ute-based four-wheel-drives – behind Japan (378,911), but ahead of China (176,159), South Korea (157,760) and Germany (57,544).
The Ora hatchback – one of Australia's cheapest electric vehicles – has been built in China for Australia since it launched in 2023, along with the rest of GWM Australia's current and former range of models.
In April, GWM announced it would invest in its Rayong, Thailand factory to "meet domestic demand and expand global demands" from Q2 2025 (April to June inclusive), including exports of the Ora hatch to Australia, New Zealand and Brazil.
"We’re not in a position to confirm any future plans regarding Ora," a GWM Australia spokesperson told Drive.
GWM currently exports most of the models it builds in Thailand to other South-East Asian countries such as Indonesia, Vietnam and Malaysia.
"Importantly, this year will be the first time that we will export the new GWM Ora Good Cat [GWM Ora hatch], which is an opportunity to create business growth from our large-scale production plant," GWM overseas market vice president James Yang said in April.
"The Rayong plant is GWM’s second full-scale production plant outside of China (after Russia).
"GWM will continue to invest in Thailand to push Thailand to become GWM’s global automotive production and export hub."
Approximately 50 per cent of the components used in GWM vehicles built in Thailand are manufactured in the nation, but the brand said it "aims to increase the proportion of domestically produced parts to increase production efficiency".
The government approval documents reveal the current Ora Standard Range will be renamed to Lux, and the Extended Range to Ultra. There are differences listed in the tare mass of Thai-built models, compared to their Chinese counterparts.
A flagship GT variant remains listed if GWM Australia decides to reintroduce it.
It is unclear if there will be any differences to the pricing, specifications, or styling of the Thai-built 2026 GWM Ora when it launches in Australia, with the Chinese-built 2025 model currently priced between $35,990 and $40,990 drive-away.
More details on the 2026 GWM Ora are expected in the coming months.
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Jordan is a motoring journalist based in Melbourne with a lifelong passion for cars. He has been surrounded by classic Fords and Holdens, brand-new cars, and everything in between from birth, with his parents’ owning an automotive workshop in regional Victoria. Jordan started writing about cars in 2021, and joined the Drive team in 2024.
