Classic VW Beetle-inspired Ora Punk Cat EV From China In Detailed Images

The Punk Cat borrows an iconic design and adds an extra pair of doors

• Ora is the EV brand of Chinese carmaker Great Wall Motors.

• It has unveiled a new EV that features much of the same styling as the VW Beetle.

• It has retro-styled bumpers, taillights, steering wheel and bug-eyed headlamps.

• The interior features white and dark green upholstery with rose-coloured panels on the dashboard and doors.

• The Punk Cat is aimed at a female demographic.

The Chinese auto industry has long been infamous for models that are “heavily inspired” by designs of various other carmakers. Great Wall Motor’s EV brand, ORA, unveiled a few new models at the ongoing 2021 Shanghai Auto Show, including the Punk Cat, styled after one of the most iconic cars ever, the Volkswagen Beetle.

It has the same bug-eyed headlamps mounted on the arches of the front fenders. The design seems to have been extended to accommodate the rear doors for easier access to make it a more practical offering. Its rear end styling is quite similar to the original Beetle with its retro-styled oval tail lamps. The Punk Cat also gets retro bumpers finished in silver.

The interior sticks with the retro theme, featuring a large steering wheel and a dual-tone ivory and dark green upholstery with rose-coloured details. It has a single digital dial as the instrument cluster, with a large, freestanding central touchscreen infotainment display. There is a semi-transparent section on the centre console ahead of the armrest that also houses the rotary drive select. Other modern elements include the touch-sensitive steering-mounted controls.

Ora has not revealed the technical details of the Punk Cat but has stated it is based on the same platform as its other models. It could be offered with battery packs ranging between 33kWh and 59.1kWh for a range between 300km and 500km. The smallest motor on offer could be the one that offers 48PS of power and 125Nm. 

With a little help of Google Translate to decipher the official release, it seems that ORA has aimed the Punk Cat at a female demographic. It refers to the car offering a “princess dream” kind of experience, which might explain the blinged out interior. There’s an LED ring light with the makeup mirror. It will also be equipped with the usual array of autonomous driving assists and connected car technology offered in other ORA models.

Alongside the Punk Cat, Ora unveiled a performance centric sedan called the Lighting Cat. This one takes “inspiration” from another iconic model, the Porsche 911. It too is stretched out to fit four doors instead of two and almost looks like an early design of the Panamera. This one claims to offer a 0-100kph time of 4 seconds but no technical details were on offer.

Pictured: Volkswagen ID BUZZ Concept

The Punk Cat may not be offered in many markets outside of China. It may not be particularly original in its design but has an undeniable charm to it. Perhaps Volkswagen could be “inspired” by ORA to revive its own Beetle design with an electric powertrain to offer the best of design and zero-emission mobility. The VW ID.BUZZ concept followed a similar theme as it was a modern take on the classic VW microbus.