Great Wall Motors' New EV Looks A Lot Like The Volkswagen Beetle, Coincidence?

Images of Great Wall Motors' Electric Vehicle (EV) arm, ORA's, next model have surfaced online, and it shows an uncanny resemblance to the iconic Volkswagen Beetle.

By Seshan Vijayraghvan

1 mins read

Published on April 14, 2021

Highlights

The new electric vehicle will be sold by Great Wall Motors' ORA EV brand
The new four-door EV looks a lot like the Beetle from the 1960s
The Beetle lookalike EV is expected to be showcased at Shanghai Auto Show

Chinese car brands have been notorious for taking their design inspiration a bit too far to the point where their cars become a blatant copy of someone else's vehicle. And China's Great Wall Motors is currently making the news for doing something similar. Images of the company's Electric Vehicle (EV) arm, ORA's, next model have surfaced online, and it shows an uncanny resemblance to the iconic Volkswagen Beetle, which is probably one of the most well-known designs in motoring history. The Chinese version of the four-door electric Beetle is expected to be showcased later this month, at the Shanghai Auto Show. Also Read: Royal Enfield Himalayan Gets A 250 cc Clone In China With The Hanway G30 The car gets similar rounded edges, flared wheel arches, and the iconic sloping rear section The overall silhouette and the design of the new electric retro car from ORA appear to have taken inspiration from the original Beetle from the 1960s, albeit with some modern flavour. We get to see the similar rounded edges, flared wheel arches, and the iconic sloping rear section. However, unlike the two-door Beetle, this one here, as we mentioned earlier, will be a four-door model, and it also appears to be missing the split rear windshield which was a signature element of the Beetle of the 1960s. Of course, the modern touches include LED headlamps, LED taillamps and a sporty set of alloy wheels. The new EV gets gets an old-school Beetle-inspired larger round steering wheel with chrome details all over the cabin The retro design has been carried over to the cabin as well, which gets an old-school Beetle-inspired larger round steering wheel with chrome details all over the cabin. The dashboard features a large infotainment display, and we believe the instrument cluster will also be a digital unit. The air-con vents and other dials on the dashboard also get chrome treatment, and so do the interior door handles. Technical specifications and other details about this unnamed Beetle lookalike are still unknown. However, it's possible that the new EV could be based on the same platform at ORA's other retro-themed electric cars - the Good Cat. However, more details will be revealed once the car makes its official debut. Source: Car New China