GWM Ora Global Sales: 2023-26 (Q1-Q3)

The first installment of ORA covers from its inception to 2022.

2023 and there was a slight recovery of 4% to 108,500. More exports and realigned pricing enabled an improved outcome. 

2024 looked like a disaster on paper with just 63,300 sales (-42%). What was happening was GWM was rebuilding the ORA brand identity. 

For one thing, the 'Cat' was dropped from the names for export and mainly locally too. They became numerals instead, such as 03. Another was ORA became GWM ORA, which is called the  Branded House way. That saved on marketing cost. Yet another was closing its European HQ in Munich.

Again, in 2025 things looked a mess. 48,300 sales (-24%) say it all, doesn't it? It was moving from a compact hatchback brand to the EV SUV segment and the arrival of the ORA 5 at the end of 2025 was the result. 

2026 started to show the fruits of a major switch in emphasis to SUVs and crossovers. In nine months, sales exceeded a completed 2025 by 23%. It's up 100% YOY! So things are looking up for GWM ORA. We'll keep an eye on its progress. 

Data Source: GWM. Photos: ORA 5 (above) & Lightning Cat or 07 (below).

GWM ORA Global Sales: 2018-2022

GWM created the ORA brand in 2018. Why? It is an electric brand to appeal to a youngwer cra buyer. The brand’s exclamation mark logo was designed to signify GWM’s determination to continuously deliver extraordinary products that "surprise and delight" consumers.

ORA stands for "Open, Reliable, and Alternative". That would mean the lettering should all be capital letters, something I haven't been doing. 

Things started slowly with a few thousand sold in the first partial year of the iQ model. Nothing to read into that. 2019 sales reached 38,900, so a solid start for a pure EV. The Black Cat model was the main model.

In 2020, the iQ was phased out. The White Cat and Good Cat models were introduced, those models had a moderate impact but a full sales year would determine their success. 56,300 sales (+45%) for ORA was a good year.

It got even better in 2021 with the three pronged 'Cat Attack'. 135,000 sales (+140%) and the claws were out. Things could only get better, surely.

But they didn't. In 2022, they axed their two best selling models as they were losing money on them. Shifting to a more premium positioning of the brand didn't work. It was for younger buyers after all.

They had been putting a lower grade chip into the Good Cat than advertised and that caused a backlash. Exports had commenced and were disappointing. 104,000 sales (-23%) was the result. 

Could GWM's ORA brand recover or fall by the wayside? The story continues here.

Data source: GWM. Photos: Good Cat (Above) & White Cat (Below).

GWM Tank Global Sales: 2021-2026 (Q1-Q3)

GWM's Tank brand had an unusual start. The Wey Tank 300 went on sale right at the end of 2020 but by early 2021, it was spun off as a stand alone brand. Decisions are made quickly in China.

As Wey is more upmarket than Tank, perhaps it should have started as a brand in its own right. Perhaps GWM was unsure that Tank could generate enough in sales to justify starting alone.

Sales were strong and the decision was swiftly made. In 2021, 84,600 were sold. This was achieved with one model! Clearly, the brand had a future. 

2022 went better, with 123,900 deliveries and up 46%. The 500 model joined the brand in March, which gave Tank some impetus. Exports started mid year, Saudi Arabia the first overseas market.

2023 had sales up 31% to 162,500. It was already claiming 13% of global GWM sales. The Middle East was keen on the brand, with rugged SUVs always strongly embraced.

The news just kept getting better, with 231,000 sales (+42%) in 2024. Cumulative sales passed 700,000, and it was proving profitable as well. 28,600 found homes in Russia alone. 

Tank braked hard in 2025, with just a 1% increase. The local market was cooling but exports helped Tank keep an even keel. Was this a one year situation or would 2026 follow the same path?

2026 sales are down 14% YOY so a very successful Q4 is required to avoid Tank's first year of decline. Disruptions in the Middle East may not be helpful. Tank currently contributed 15.5% of all GWM sales. It's certainly not gone far enough to say sales are tanking. 

Data source: GWM. Models (GWM NZ): Tank 500 above & 300 below.