GWM Ora Good Cat Now Assembled In Thailand, First To Adopt Thai-made Batteries Too

The GWM Ora Good Cat is now fully localised in Thailand where it also adopts new Thai-made EV batteries from SVOLT.

Thailand marked a significant expansion in its electric vehicle (EV) production industry following the induction of the GWM Ora Good Cat as the first Chinese brand to be locally assembled (CKD) in the country. 

Said feline-themed EV hatch now rolls off the line from GWM’s Rayong Plant, which now stands as the second largest manufacturing facility outside its native China. Moreover, the Thai-built Ora Good Cat is also now the first EV to harness made-in-Thailand EV batteries too.

A special line-off ceremony was held and it sees the GWM Ora Good Cat become the first Chinese EV to be locally built in the Kingdom just north of our peninsular's border.

Said batteries are manufactured by GWM's battery manufacturing subsidiary SVOLT Energy Technology in Chonburi. This subsidiary reportedly established its battery production facility in since July 2023, marking another step in Thailand’s bid towards becoming a regional EV production leader.

Prior to this, the GWM Ora Good Cat was marketed in Thailand as a fully imported (CBU) offering, all primed with CATL-sourced 47.8 kWh (Tech and Pro variant) and 63.1 kWh (Ultra and GT variants) batteries.

Moving forward, the Thai-made Ora Good Cat will use SVOlT’s Thai-made 57.7 kWh lithium iron phosphate (LFP)-type battery packs instead. The model will be offered in Pro and Ultra guises, boasting up to 480 KM and 460 KM – respectively – claimed NEDC range.

For the Thai market, the GWM Ora Good Cat EV hatch is offered in two guises - Ultra and GT.

“GWM held The First New GWM ORA Good Cat Line-Off Ceremony, a new milestone underscores the company's capability and readiness for mass production of the New GWM ORA Good Cat from the local production line.,” expressed Michael Zhang, GWM’s ASEAN Vice President, Brand & Communication .

Zhang added that the effort sees GWM stand as the first automaker in Thailand with full xEV production capability able to churn our a variety of models primed with series parallel hybrid (HEV), plug-in hybrid (PHEV), and battery electric (BEV) powertrains.

For GWM, this recent development comes as part of the broader growth in Thailand’s EV sector as the Kingdom’s Board of Investment (BOI) approved 23 EV projects from 16 companies. Besides GWM, Honda stood as the first to locally build EVs in the Kingdom starting last year with its e:N1 model.

Locally, GWM Malaysia is also poised to set up local assembly (CKD) efforts in Melaka with EP manufacturing Sdn Bhd.

Closer to home, GWM’s Malaysian arm is poised to have its own CKD operations up and running soon. This effort stems from the automaker’s recent MoU signing with EP Manufacturing Berhad as its contract manufacturer.

Said agreement sees the latter’s Melaka-based plant output 30,000 vehicles annually starting next year.