GWM has officially axed the Funky Cat branding for its Ora-branded electric hatch with a shift to a new name.

The Ora Funky Cat is now simply the Ora 03

While the quirky EV has garnered praise and awards since its UK launch in late 2022, its controversial name has divided opinions.

Parent firm Great Wall Motor has now shifted to a more conventional numerical naming convention for its Ora and Wey automotive subsidiaries in Europe while also starting to phase out the actual offshoots themselves to switch to a ‘master brand’.

The move, first announced in November 2023, sees the Ora Funky Cat now simply become the Ora 3. This follows the “amicable settlement of an opposition to the registration of the ‘Funky Cat’ trademark in the UK market”.

GWM has also rebadged the Funky Cat First Edition and First Edition+ launch variants as the Pure+ and Pro+, which are on sale now priced from £31,995 and £34,995 respectively.

The entry-level Ora 03 Pure+ comes with a 48kWh battery, giving a 193-mile WLTP electric range and fitted with equipment including wireless phone charging, facial recognition, electric front seats, app integration and ‘Hello Ora intelligent voice assistance.

The Pro+ builds on this with a 63kWh battery and an official 260-mile WLTP range, plus features such as heated, cooled and massage front seats, heated steering-wheel, panoramic sunroof, powered gesture tailgate, rear privacy glass and advanced automatic parking assistance.

The new naming strategy also paves the way for the arrival of GWM’s new saloon later this spring. Called ‘Lightning Cat’ in China, this will simply be known as ‘Ora 07’ when it arrives on these shores this spring. Pitched as a rival to the Tesla Model 3 and Hyundai Ioniq 6, it “shares the brand’s distinctive retro-futuristic design DNA” with the 03 and is expected to have an electric range of over 300 miles WLTP.

Other plans for the UK for this year include the arrival of additional variants of Ora 03, including a sport-inspired GT variant, and an expanded UK dealer network. The carmaker aims to open one new site a month on average.