While we were writing our article about the presentation of the Ora Punk Cat, we thought we should contact Volkswagen immediately after publishing it. The guys at CarScoops were faster and received a statement Volkswagen is now sharing with all other media companies. It basically says the German company will take a look at the copycat.
The statement, as you will see below, is quite generic:
“As always, we check any violations of utility model or design rights of Volkswagen AG and reserve the right to take any necessary legal action.”
We tried to learn more about Volkswagen’s intentions. We asked it three questions: if Volkswagen planned to sue Ora for the Punk Cat, if it was waiting for the EV to be sold to sue, and if there was any possibility of striking a deal with Ora to avoid issues. One possibility could be if Great Wall, Ora’s mother company, agreed to pay royalties to use the design, for example.
Gallery: Ora Punk Cat Reveals How Much It Was Inspired By The Classic VW Beetle
Volkswagen’s only answer was the statement above. Ironically, the company’s representative finished his message by stating that we should not hesitate to contact him if we had any further questions. We sent them the three questions again and did not hear back ever since.
More Ora Punk Cat News:
Another possibility to bring more light to the situation was to contact Great Wall and Ora. The company does not have a press contact available on its website. We have sent messages to all email addresses present on the company’s website asking six questions: how Ora/Great Wall responded to the repercussion on how similar the Punk Cat is to the Beetle, if it contacted Volkswagen before presenting it to avoid legal issues, when it will put the car for sale and how much it will cost, its technical specifications, if there were plans to sell it abroad, and if making a deal with Volkswagen was a possibility. We also have not heard back from the Chinese company.
That does not mean the story is over. It will only be if Ora/Great Wall decides not to sell the Punk Cat or completely redesign it to avoid legal issues. Since that is very unlikely, we’ll keep an eye on both companies’ next moves.