The dealer network for the UK's newest car brand entrant, GWM Ora, is hoped to reach 16 locations by the end of this year as sales of its electric vehicles (EVs) begin to gain ground.

GWM Ora is part of China’s Great Wall Group, which started in 1984 and now employs some 60,000 people across its numerous vehicle manufacturers. The Ora brand is Great Wall’s dedicated electric car brand, and it recently set up a research and development branch in Germany, a sign of how seriously it wants to become established in Europe.

It is now distributed here by IM Group, which also supplies the UK with Subaru and Isuzu new cars and Mitsubishi parts. IM Group executive Toby Marshall was recently promoted to managing director of GWM Ora UK from his prior sales and marketing director role and is overseeing the start of sales. First is the GWM Ora Funky Cat, a battery electric vehicle (BEV) priced from £31,995, and IM Group hopes sales will reach 5,000 units by the end of 2023.

AM100 dealer groups Lookers, Peter Vardy and Wessex Garages were the first to open GWM Ora showrooms in the UK in November 2022. Chorley Group and City West Country joined them in February 2023, along with Lookers’ Charles Hurst division in Northern Ireland. More dealerships will be revealed throughout 2023.

Dealers have franchise contracts, not agency agreements. They will adopt a 'hub and spoke' approach, with a hub handling sales and service, and, as the GWM Ora parc grows, satellite aftersales workshops will form the spokes.