2024 ORA Good Cat price cut now from RM113k, best value EV vs. BYD Dolphin & Neta V?

GWM has recently announced a significant price reduction of RM26,000 across the entire ORA Good Cat range, positioning the electric hatchback more competitively in the market. The revised prices start at RM113,800 (previously RM139,800) for the base 400 Pro model and escalate to RM143,800 for the 500 Ultra (previously RM169,800).

For those on the fence about EV ownership in Malaysia and the Good Cat in particular, the price adjustment is startling: the 400 Pro now stands RM16,000 below the 2023 BYD Atto 3 Standard Range, while the 500 Pro carries a RM3,000 advantage over the Omoda E5 (factoring in the latter’s inclusive on-the-road costs at RM146,800). It's worth noting that GWM’s discounts extend to the latest 2024 model year car only.

To sweeten the deal even more, there’s also an extended warranty, stretching from the existing 5 years to 7 years (with the same 150,000 km mileage cap), accompanied by 5 years of complimentary service added while warranty for the battery and motor remains unchanged at 8 years or 180,000 km.

Additionally, GWM is offering a promotion until April 30th which would include a complimentary AC wallbox charger and three-pin portable charger for all new buyers of the Good Cat (soon to be renamed the ORA 03?).

Things are definitely getting more heated in the entry-to-mid level playing field for EVs offered in Malaysia, an area where GWM with the ORA Good Cat was one of the first to enter. It’s quite clear that this dramatic price reduction was motivated by pressure from the competition, namely other electric car brands from China such as BYD, Chery, and the imminent rollout of MG.

Though above the RM150,000 mark, buyers also have plenty of choice from entrants such as Tesla and smart, the sub-RM150k and sub-RM120k will make the most impact in terms of swaying a broader spectrum of Malaysians into EV adoption.

Here’s how some of the cars stack up against each other on paper.

As we can see, the ORA Good Cat undercuts both the Chery Omoda 5 and BYD Atto 3 Standard Range, offering the lowest outlay for an EV of this size at a starting price of just RM113,800.

That said, there are other areas where its rivals come out ahead, such as the matter of power and torque where the Good Cat is clearly the least endowed in terms of raw output from its single electric motor. We found performance to not be an issue during our time testing it, but this will depends on your needs.

It’s AC and DC charging speeds aren’t especially fast, either, with the Omoda E5 and BYD Atto 3 boasting the fastest support for rapid charging.

All told, the ORA Good Cat is still the familiar EV we’ve known since its late 2022 launch and remains competitive from a purely spec-for-spec perspective, but with the drop in price across the range, the value calculous is altered dramatically.

What we are left wondering is, will we see similarly aggressive tactics from other automakers? For example, BYD did react quite quickly to the introduction of the Chery Omoda E5, offering their Atto 3 for a promotional price of RM129,800 for the Standard Range variant (2023 model year only), putting in very close proximity to the smaller Dolphin Premium Extended at RM125,730.

Below the RM120,000 mark we have the most attainably priced EVs currently on sale, a slice of the market that's set to welcome the MG4, a new entrant with an estimated price of just RM104k along with an impressive specification.