Did You Know China Makes A Beetle Clone? And It Just Got Better

the breakdown

• The Ora Ballet Cat, a Beetle-inspired EV, gets a more powerful motor for 2026.
• It increases its output from 169 to 201 horsepower.
• The updated model also gets a new lithium-iron phosphate battery.

The Volkswagen Beetle hasn’t been sold in the US since 2019, when the Final Edition marked the end of the New Beetle’s revival. A shame, really. But did you know there’s a company in China building its own Beetle-inspired EV? And now, it’s getting a little bit better.

The oddly named Ora Ballet Cat looks like a modern interpretation of the original Type 1 Beetle, blending retro styling with modern technology and a slightly svelter shape. It debuted in 2022, but it’s a pretty niche model, with Ora only selling a few thousand examples each year. Pricing starts at around ¥193,000 (roughly $28,000).

Ora Ballet Cat

Photo by: Ora

For 2026, the company is hoping to attract more buyers with some updates beneath the skin. The biggest change is a new electric motor that replaces the previous unit, which made just 169 horsepower.

According to China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), as reported by CarNewsChina, the updated Ballet Cat now makes 201 hp. The upgrade also increases its top speed from a modest 96 mph to a more respectable 112 mph. Power comes from a new lithium-iron phosphate battery pack.

Beyond the powertrain updates, not much changes for China’s quirky Beetle knockoff. The Ballet Cat still comes loaded with unusual features, including a large vanity mirror to help women apply makeup on the go and a selfie camera that can upload photos directly to social media. There’s even a “Warm Man Mode” that quickly heats the cabin with the push of a button.

Unfortunately, there’s little chance the Ora Ballet Cat will ever make its way to the US market. But that doesn’t mean we’ve given up hope that Volkswagen might eventually bring back the Beetle in some form.

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Source: Ora

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Motor1's Take: You know what? Knockoff or not, Ora's faux Beetle is kind of fun. It looks cute and has some genuinely interesting features. The extra power should make it even more appealing to Chinese buyers this year.

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