The new GWM ORA showroom will open exclusively at Charles Hurst in March at its 40-acre Boucher Road complex
Charles Hurst, Northern Ireland’s biggest car retailer, has today confirmed a new partnership with pioneering electric car brand GWM ORA.
As the first Dealer Group in Northern Ireland to team up with the GWM ORA brand, Charles Hurst will initially offer exclusive stock of the brand’s new all-electric car, ORA Funky Cat, to customers across Northern Ireland. Charles Hurst will open a state-of-the-art GWM ORA showroom at its Boucher Road site this spring.
Charles Hurst is the third dealership within parent company Lookers’ network to take on the new brand, with Lookers sites in Wolverhampton and Braintree kickstarting sales last year.
Jeff McCartney, Group Operations Director at Charles Hurst, said:
“The ORA Funky Cat First Edition is a game-changer for the EV market, and we’re thrilled to become the first dealership in Northern Ireland with the chance to showcase it.
“Our state-of-the art dealership here in Belfast offers the very best in class for the EV market from electric vehicle charging and access to trained electric vehicle specialists who are on hand for free, expert advice as well as excellent aftersales services for all our customers.
“The ORA Funky Cat brings a fantastic new development to the world of electric driving, and we’re delighted to be among the first in the UK and Ireland to showcase its arrival.”
Customers will be able to book a test drive and place orders for their ORA Funky Cat at the Charles Hurst GWM ORA showroom from Monday March 6.
Jeff McCartney added:
“This is an exciting time for the EV market, and we’re looking forward to helping even more of our customers make the all-important step towards electric driving. The ORA Funky Cat is a great way to start that journey.”
The ORA Funky Cat First Edition is a high-spec launch vehicle, available with a 48kWh battery offering a WLTP range of 193 miles.
Among the car’s impressive features are wireless phone charging, adaptive cruise control, 360-degree cameras, voice recognition, reversing camera, LED headlights and 18” alloy wheels.
The ORA Funky Cat also features comprehensive charging capability with Type 2 single-phase AC and three-phase AC charging as standard. It will also feature DC rapid charging and come equipped with a CCS socket as standard.
Home charging will take around five to six hours, based on 15% – 80% charge status, with time cut drastically to around three to four hours when moving up to three-phase AC on-street charging. In addition, rapid charging will take users around 43 minutes.
The Funky Cat First Edition will be available in a choice of four colours, with the vehicle presented as standard with a Nebula green exterior paint finish and a black interior.
The car will be backed by a comprehensive five-year vehicle, unlimited mileage warranty with cover on the battery for eight years or 100,000 miles. Service intervals are scheduled every two years or 18,000 miles, whichever comes first.
A Top 100 NI company for several decades, Charles Hurst operates across eight sites in Northern Ireland and two in the Republic of Ireland, representing more than 20 of the world’s top global car manufacturers, including leading premium and luxury brands.