Great Wall Motor (GWM) ORA UK has announced the appointment of Peter Vardy as its first official retailer for ORA electric vehicle (EV) products in the UK. Covering the whole of Scotland, the company is renowned for its high level of customer service and automotive expertise.
From November, customers will be able to visit the showroom, located in Glasgow, to see and test-drive the ORA Funky Cat First Edition. Peter Vardy will be opening additional Scottish GWM ORA retail and aftersales outlets during 2023, including one in Edinburgh.
The ORA Funky Cat First Edition is a highly specified launch vehicle. It will be available with a 48kWh battery that delivers a range of 193 miles (311km) and offers a 0-62mph (0-100kph) acceleration of 8.3 seconds. It can be charged from 15-80 percent in just 43 minutes charge and is available from £31,995.
Toby Marshall, GWM ORA UK sales and marketing director, said: “The appointment of our first official retailer is a huge milestone for the GWM ORA brand. I look forward to working closely with the team at Peter Vardy as we navigate our launch phase and continue to develop our retailer network across the country.”
The Peter Vardy Group’s purpose is “We Sell To Give” with 10 percent of the group’s profits going directly to good causes via the Peter Vardy Foundation. Over £7 million has been donated to date.
As part of their environmental impact project “No Planet B”, the Peter Vardy Group has committed to being Carbon Neutral by 2025 and is developing a range of options for both customers and colleagues.
Peter Vardy, CEO at Peter Vardy Limited, said: “As a business, we always look to work with exciting, unique and sustainable brands and GWM ORA ticks all these boxes.
“As the first official retailer for the brand, we can’t wait to introduce the product to Scotland and get customers into vehicles. With an accessible price and strong spec, we’re anticipating that the ORA Funky Cat First Edition will be very successful.”
Customers located in Scotland will also benefit from the various EV incentives funded by Transport Scotland and administered by Energy Saving Trust. Customers who wish to purchase an EV but live in a more remote area of Scotland are eligible to receive up to £300 towards the cost of purchasing or installing a home charger.
Businesses looking to purchase an ORA can benefit from the ‘Low Carbon Transport Business Loan’ that provides up to £150,000 interest-free to help reduce carbon impact and fuel costs. Scotland is also home to some of the best charging infrastructure in the UK, with over 2,600 plug-in points and more EVs per head than the rest of the UK.
The Scottish Government recently announced a £60 million plan to ensure there are 30,000 chargepoints in place by 2030. In addition, Scottish customers will benefit from the ChargePlace Scotland network, which is mostly free to use and run by Transport for Scotland.
GWM ORA has already achieved over 8,000 registrations of interest on the ORA UK website. UK order books will open officially in November with customer deliveries taking place later this year.
