The GWM Ora electric hatchback is now built in Thailand for Australia, with all variants featuring a new 57.7kWh lithium-iron phosphate (LFP) battery pack.
Electric Cars
The 2026 GWM Ora electric hatchback, now built in Thailand instead of China, has been detailed for Australia.
Priced from $35,990 drive-away, all versions of the 2026 Ora – Lux and GT – receive a new 57.7kWh lithium-iron phosphate (LFP) battery developed by GWM subsidiary SVOLT, replacing the 48kWh lithium-ion and 62kWh ternary lithium batteries previously offered.
Officially, its $35,990 drive-away starting price is identical to the Ora Standard Range – which has a smaller battery and can not travel as far – but the outgoing model has been offered for $32,990 for several months.
Now sourced from Thailand, the updated GWM Ora is believed to be the first vehicle from a Chinese brand not built in its home market for Australia.
It is manufactured in the same Rayong, Thailand factory which built Holden Colorado utes and Holden Trailblazer 4WDs for Australia, before it was sold to Great Wall Motors (GWM) in February 2020, at the same time General Motors (GM) announced the Holden brand would be axed.
The Lux will deliver a WLTP-rated driving range of 400 kilometres, up from 310 kilometres for the outgoing Ora Standard Range, but down from 420km for the Extended Range.
However, the new battery and other components equate to a tare mass up to 130 kilograms heavier than earlier versions, cutting its 0-100km/h acceleration time to around nine seconds, compared to 8.4 seconds claimed for the outgoing model.
A limited-run of 30 Ultra variants, all Aurora Green with a black roof, will be offered for $37,990, adding front parking sensors, an electric tailgate, a panoramic sunroof, a driver's seat memory function, automatic parking, auto-folding side mirrors, heated, ventilated and massaging front seats, and a heated steering wheel.
Range-wide changes include GWM Connected Services telematics with scheduled charging support, vehicle-to-load (V2L) functionality, a heat pump air-conditioning system, a USB-C charge port, and revised tyres.
More prominent rear GWM branding was added to the Ora in Australia earlier this year, in line with the latest GWM Haval Jolion, H6 and H7 SUVs, and GWM Cannon ute.
A 126kW/250Nm front electric motor continues to power the GWM Ora, rather than the less-powerful 105kW/210Nm unit found in Thai-market versions.
Thailand was the second-highest source country of new cars sold in Australia in 2024 with 272,139 deliveries compared to 378,911 for Japan, and ahead of China (176,159), South Korea (157,760) and Germany (57,544).
The 2026 GWM Ora is expected to arrive in Australian showrooms in the coming weeks.
2026 GWM Ora price in Australia
Note: All prices above are drive-away.
2026 GWM Ora Lux standard features include:
2026 GWM Ora Ultra adds (over Lux):
2026 GWM Ora GT adds (over Ultra):
Available colours include:
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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.
