It feels like there isn’t a day that goes by where another Chinese car manufacturer joins the UK market.

But now we have two new firms that are joining the party from Ora and Haval. Never heard of them? Well, things are about to change with these two car manufacturers, which are set to expand their model lineups with EVs and cheap and cheerful SUVs.

With that in mind, we take a closer look at what the two companies represent and what we can expect to see from them in the future.

What is Ora?

Ora is the electric marque of the firm GWM. Confused? Well, GWM (Great Wall Motors) is a Chinese vehicle manufacturer that entered the UK market back in 2012 and sold the not-so-popular Steed pickup truck. After that model’s flop, the firm decided to focus its attention on electric vehicles. That is where Ora comes in.

In 2022, the first GWM Ora car was introduced to the UK, known as the Funky Cat. That might sound like an odd name, but the car itself is a small hatchback that rivals the likes of the new Renault 5 and Hyundai Inster.

Very quickly after the car’s launch, Ora had a rethink and gave the Funky Cat a new name, and the 03 took its place.

What is Haval?

Haval is also owned by GWM, but it focuses on the crossover and SUV segment. Currently, Haval is the most popular brand under the GWM name, and here in the UK, the firm has just launched the first model in its lineup.

What cars does Ora sell?

Currently, Ora offers just one model, the 03. It’s a small and compact electric supermini that comes with a choice of two battery packs being a 48kWh or a larger 63kWh unit. Ora claims that the former can travel up to 193 miles and the latter can achieve 260 miles between trips to the plug.

You can also get the 03 in a hot GT trim level, which adds red brake calipers, 18-inch diamond-cut alloy wheels, wheel arch extensions, a rear roof spoiler and even launch control, to help make getaways even quicker.

What cars does Haval sell?

Haval also only sells one car in the UK and that's the Jolian Pro SUV.

It’s priced at just £23,995, making it one of the cheapest SUVs on sale today. Plus, it comes as standard with a hybrid powertrain to help boost efficiency.

Under the bonnet, there is a 1.5-litre petrol engine mated to an electric motor that gives a combined power output of 186bhp. The firm claims that the car can travel up to 620 miles on a single tank of fuel.

The Jolian Pro rivals cars such as the Nissan Qashqai and Citroen C5 Aircross, but undercuts all of its rivals when it comes to price – making it excellent value for money.

What are Ora and Haval’s future plans in the UK?

Ora

Starting with Ora, the company is about to launch its second model here in the UK with the 07. It’s an electric four-door saloon that will rival the Hyundai Ioniq 6 and Volkswagen ID.7.

Under the bonnet, there will be a choice of two battery sizes, with the larger option being a 83.5kWh unit, which can take the car on a claimed 320 miles.

Prices are yet to be announced, but it’s likely that the 07 will cost between £35,000 and £45,000 when the car goes on sale later this year.

Haval

Haval, on the other hand, has only just launched the Jolion Pro here in the UK and wants to focus on this budget-friendly crossover.

Recently, GWM announced that it was going to merge the Ora and Haval models together into a GWM franchise dealership network, which currently sits at 32 sites across the country.

Even though it’s unclear at this stage how many further sites are due to open, with Ora having sold more than 3,000 examples of its 03, the 07 around the corner and the Jolian Pro being a budget-friendly SUV, both companies could be onto making a success here in the UK.