Under the leadership of Great Wall, the European car market will soon experience an electric retrowave. The Chinese colossus brings the Ora and Wey brands to Europe. Until now, it was only known that Ora would bring a bunch of electric retro buggers to Europe. Now Wey also seems to be bringing a stubbornly designed electric newcomer with a classic look to our part of the world.
Car manufacturers clearly cannot resist the temptation of retro design. Think of the models of Mini, but of course there is much more. With the E, Honda has an electric model with a retro design, Fiat carries the 500 in that area, and Volkswagen clearly refers to the T1s and T2s of yesteryear with the ID.Buzz from the outside. The Chinese Great Wall has also enjoyed the retro cake and with its brand offensive it is bringing the Ora brand, which is laced with retro models, to Europe. Ora, together with Wey, is one of the two brands that the group will eventually sell in Europe. Wey will also most likely get an electric retro tractor in Europe.
Wey (2021)
From the database of the European Union Intellectual Property Office, AutoWeek has found patent plates of an electric newcomer from Wey that features a crazy retro design. This means that parent company Great Wall has also recorded the design of that EV in Europe. The car itself may not be as new as you think. It concerns the EV that Wey already presented on Chinese soil in August 2021. That unnamed newcomer is basically Wey’s version of sister brand Ora’s Punk Cat. Where the Punk Cat clearly resembles the Volkswagen Beetle, Wey’s version with its thoroughly modified front and rear seems to breathe the atmosphere of American cars from the 1940s. The Wey on the patent plates differs in detail from the one presented in China last year. version. For example, the decorative strips on the front screens are missing.
Wey (Patent, EUIPO)
We aim to match the technique of the Wey almost one-on-one with that of the Ora Punk Cat. Count on a car with a 171 hp electric motor that should be able to reach a top speed of about 155 km/h. The size of the battery pack is still unknown.
When Wey brings his electric retro model to the Netherlands? We do not know yet. It is known, however, that Wey will soon be bringing the Coffee 01 and Coffee 02 to Europe, cars that are successively called Mocca and Latte in China. Ora will be feeding the 02 Cat and 03 Cat in Europe. Ora’s electric Beetle-like has not yet been officially announced for the European market, but the design of that car is already floating around in the European patent databases.
Would you dare to purchase such a crazy Wey and is there even room for it in the Netherlands? We are curious about your opinions!
– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl