Words: Richard Edwards
Published 8 July 2026
GWM’s first shipment of the new ORA 5 electric SUV has sold out before most buyers have had a chance to test drive one, arriving on the heels of a record June for the brand and ahead of its biggest product expansion yet.
The first 100 examples of New Zealand’s most affordable SUV-based EV have all been sold, and around 90 per cent of a second 100-unit shipment arriving this month is already allocated.
“So we’re expecting that we should be around about that hundred odd range a month, we’re hoping,” says GWM New Zealand country manager Cameron Thomas.
Deliveries to GWM’s 20-strong dealer network are now under way, with demonstrators available for test drives.
The ORA 5 is offered in two grades, the Lux at $36,990 and the Ultra at $39,990, both plus on-road costs. Both are powered by a 150kW/260Nm front-mounted motor fed by an LFP battery, delivering a WLTC range of 435km and a 0-100km/h time of eight seconds. DC fast charging takes the battery from 10 to 80 per cent in around 30 minutes, and 6kW vehicle-to-load capability lets the car power tools or campsites.
Standard equipment includes seven airbags, a 360-degree camera, adaptive cruise control and autonomous emergency braking, with GWM targeting a five-star ANCAP rating. The Ultra adds a panoramic glass roof, electric tailgate, heated and ventilated front seats, heated steering wheel and a 50W wireless charger. The ORA 5 carries a seven-year unlimited kilometre warranty, an eight-year battery warranty and five years of roadside assistance.
The ORA 5’s arrival comes with GWM already on a roll. The brand recorded its best-ever month in June, with 610 registrations for 4.7 per cent of the market and seventh place overall, up 42 per cent on the same month last year, a result achieved largely before ORA 5 deliveries began. The Haval H6 led the way with 240 registrations, and with the sold-out first shipment now reaching customers, the EV’s full impact will show in July’s figures.
“This record-breaking month is a testament to the strength of our product pipeline and the dedication of our national dealer network, as well as starting to show the result of our Go Local, Grow More strategy,” Thomas says, referencing the brand’s partnership with the New Zealand Warriors.
GWM is now New Zealand’s third biggest PHEV brand and fourth biggest hybrid brand year to date, according to NZTA data.
The brand has no intention of slowing down, confirming plans to launch up to eight new models here over the next six months as it targets a top five market position by the end of 2027 and top three by 2030, with more than 5,000 sales forecast for this year.
September brings the Cannon Hi4-T plug-in hybrid ute, which will sit alongside the larger Cannon Alpha Hi4-T to give GWM what it says is New Zealand’s broadest electrified ute portfolio. A new 3.0-litre turbo-diesel engine follows for the Cannon Alpha and Tank 500, with Australia and New Zealand selected as the lead global markets for the powertrain.
From the fourth quarter, GWM will field three mid-size SUV nameplates, with the all-new Haval H7 offering hybrid and plug-in hybrid power, flagship variants gaining front and rear differential locks, and the Jolion Max arriving in plug-in hybrid and battery electric forms between the Jolion and H6. A larger ORA 5 Touring EV is also expected early next year.
“The ANZ region is now one of GWM Group’s top three strategic international markets,” says GWM Australia and New Zealand managing director Andrew Gao. “We’ll continue investing our best products, technologies and resources into the region. We’re only at the beginning of our journey in New Zealand and we truly believe the best is yet to come.”
Thomas says the expansion is about breadth of choice rather than backing a single technology.
“No single technology wins every customer, and no single customer needs every technology,” he says. “Our role is to give customers the freedom to choose the solution that best fits their lives, whether that’s petrol, diesel, hybrid, plug-in hybrid or electric. We’re not building a strategy around the business we have today. We’re building a strategy around the business we are becoming.”
