Scottish car dealer Peter Vardy has become the UK’s first official retailer for China’s ORA electric vehicle.

The brand, already available in Asia, will be officially launched in Europe this year. It is owned by global automotive giant Great Wall Motor (GWM), which is headquartered in Baoding.

The GWM ORA will first be available in Glasgow, with additional Scottish retail and after sales outlets opening next year.

In China, GWM is the market leader for premium SUVs. Under the leadership of Mr Jack Wey, the company is already successfully positioned in the market worldwide as one of the first Chinese automakers to sell vehicles outside China.

It was founded in 1984 and has three major product segments: SUV, passenger car and pickup. The group includes the vehicle brands HAVAL, WEY, GWM ORA, GWM Pickup and TANK.

Toby Marshall, sales and marketing director, GWM ORA UK, commented: “The appointment of our first official retailer is a huge milestone for the GWM ORA brand. I look forward to working closely with the team at Peter Vardy as we navigate our launch phase and continue to develop our retailer network across the country.” 

Peter Vardy, chief executive of the Vardy group, added: “We always look to work with exciting, unique and sustainable brands.

“As the first official retailer for the brand, we can’t wait to introduce the product to Scotland and get customers into vehicles.”

Customers located in Scotland will have access to the various EV incentives funded by Transport Scotland and administered by Energy Saving Trust.

Businesses looking to purchase an ORA can benefit from the ‘Low Carbon Transport Business Loan’ that provides up to £150,000 interest free to help reduce carbon impact and fuel costs. 

The Scottish Government has recently announced a £60 million plan to ensure there are 30,000 charge points in place by 2030. In addition, Scottish customers will benefit from the ChargePlace Scotland network, which is mostly free to use and is run by Transport for Scotland..

GWM ORA is set to be one of the most disruptive EV brands to enter the UK market this year, already achieving more than 8,000 registrations of interest on the ORA UK website.