GWM Ora 03 built in Thailand

Great Wall Motor (GWM) is mass producing the Ora 03 (aka GWM Ora Good Cat) at its Rayong factory in Thailand, rolling out its first EV from there last week.

Hailing it as “built by the world, for the world”, GWM says it’s the first Thailand-made EV and marks a breakthrough for the Chinese automotive industry as the first Chinese OEM EV mass produced outside China.

This marks GWM’s debut in overseas production of full electric vehicles, signifying its capability to produce a comprehensive range of new energy products covering hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), plug-in hybrids (PHEVs), and battery electric vehicles (BEVs) on a global scale, like GWM’s Brazilian factory, as well as other knocked-down assembly production bases across the world in the future, says GWM.

S-Volt under GWM Holdings Group will start to supply batteries to the Thai-built GWM Ora 03 from the first half of 2024.

Meanwhile, S-Volt will also be supplying power batteries to car brands like Mitsubishi, Mini, NETA and others, says GWM.

“The planned capacity for S-Volt in Thailand can meet the demand for 60,000 battery packs for BEVs (50-60kWh on average).

S-Volt is also becoming involved in the energy storage battery to better serve communities with models capable of vehicle-to-grid (V2G) and vehicle-to-load (V2L) functions, building a complete new energy chain in the local market, says GWM.

GWM officially acquired the Rayong factory in November 2020 and launched its brand in the Thai market on February 9, 2021, announcing a direct sales model with a unique “partnership” and “fixed-price” sales approach.

The first HEV rolled off the Rayong line in May 2021.

In July 2023, GWM introduced the S-Volt into Thailand, establishing the first automotive battery factory in Southeast Asia.

GWM actively participates in new energy industry policies – one of the first brands to respond to Thailand’s government subsidies, collaborating with government departments to construct and integrate Thailand’s EV charging network.

 It initiated a “three-year, nine-model plan” in February 2021, contributing to Thailand’s sustainable development and supporting automotive education there.

Since its launch on October 29, 2021, the GWM Ora 03 has delivered more than 10,000 units in Thailand.

The Ora 03 mass production event was attended by key figures from the Chinese Embassy, the Thai Ministry of Industry, Ministry of Energy, Customs Department, Excise Department, and more than 170 major media outlets among about 300 people there.