An electric car is going into production in China that is suspiciously reminiscent of the cult car VW Beetle. Great Wall Motors’ Ora sub-brand has filed patents for the Ora Punk Cat and Ora Ballet Cat models, which are clearly Beetle clones. Although VW is threatening legal action, the replica is now going into series production.
Ministry of Industry grants approval
According to the Chinese Ministry of Industry’s website, Great Wall has received approval for series production. The design of the production vehicle has not changed much compared to the Ora Punk Cat concept that was presented last year. Except for the rear door, the Beetle replica is very similar to VW’s classic, which was built until 1978.
The Ora Punk Cat at Auto Shanghai 2021
The Ora Punk Cat made its debut at the 2021 Auto Shanghai show. It has a sloping bonnet, wide wheel arches and the famous round headlights. The many chrome elements give the Stromer the appropriate retro look. Ora also mentioned some key technical data: The electric motor has an output of 299 hp, the battery comes from CATL.
Even then, VW announced legal action against the replica. Great Wall Motors was not deterred by this, however, and shortly thereafter presented its second Beetle copy, the Ora Ballet Cat. The main difference between the two electric beetles is their size: while the Punk Cat is 4.80 meters long and 2 meters wide, the Ballet Cat is significantly smaller. The performance of the Ballet Cat is also lower at 128 hp.
Great Wall owns patents in China and Europe
The Chinese Ministry of Industry has now given the green light for the production of the Ora Ballet Cat. In addition, Great Wall Motors has already secured patents for its two clones in Europe and China. In a few months, sales of the electric Beetle will start in China. However, Volkswagen should not simply put up with the theft of its famous design.
Volkswagen is further examining legal steps
As early as July 2021, VW announced that it was considering filing a lawsuit for patent infringement. When asked by stern, VW spokesman Voswinkel now said: “Nothing has changed in the statement from July 2021. Volkswagen is examining legal action against registering the design and using it on the market. Volkswagen expects that possible industrial property rights will be respected.”
Is the electric ID.Beetle coming?
The whole thing is particularly annoying for VW, because the group does not rule out releasing an electric version of its classic, the ID.Beetle. Just last February, CEO Herbert Diess answered a user’s question on the online platform Reddit: “Our most emotional vehicle in our history is undoubtedly the microbus. Bringing this icon back to life was my first priority. But yes, many other emotional cars are possible on our scalable MEB platform.”
So everything is still open at VW. As VW spokesman Voswinkel announced, the market launch of the Ballet Cat and the Punk Cat has no impact on further production plans.
Sources / Read more
Great Wall’s “Electric Beetle” presented as a series version | Inside EVs
Herbert Diess hints at Volkswagen Beetle EV as a possibility | Traced News
ORA Punk Cat Chinese EV Is A Volkswagen’s Nightmare | CarNewsChina
Will “Herbie” Diess bring the Beetle back as an electric car? | car motor and sport
VW Beetle: Career of a cult car in pictures | Ed
Image source: Wikipedia – JustAnotherCarDesigner, CC BY-SA 4.0
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