Chinese automaker Ora has come under fire from owners in China for installing an outdated computer chip on Good Cat models.
The Ora Good Cat has been brought to life by the Great Wall-owned car manufacturer which recently launched in Europe. However, Ora has been shipping Good Cat models to owners in China with an Intel processor that was released in 2016, rather than the octa-core Qualcomm processor that the EV was advertised as having.
The Straight Times reports that owners have complained about the processor on WeChat and are considering legal action, accusing the car manufacturer of consumer fraud. Owners say Ora had offered subsidized charging, free software updates, and app memberships to appease them but that wasn’t enough for some who want new chips installed or, otherwise, full refunds and compensation.
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Owners state that the old Intel processor means that the car’s infotainment system doesn’t operate as it should, with fewer third-party applications available and, according to one owner, no ability to update the Gaode navigation app, China’s equivalent of Google Maps. In addition, the same owner says the in-car voice assistant frequently malfunctions.
Ora conceded on November 22 that early Good Cat models had indeed reached customers with old Intel processors rather than the Qualcomm chips that had been advertised.
“We would like to express our deep apologies to Ora Good Cat owners for the trouble brought about by the Ora Smart-cafe OS (operating system) advertising content,” the company added in a statement.
Executive director at Queen & Low Law Firm in Beijing, Lin Lihong, has been speaking with owners and says a court case is being readied.
“In my opinion, this is a typical case of consumer fraud,” she said. “It was explicitly written in the car configuration files that a Qualcomm octa-core processor would be equipped in the vehicle. However, after deliveries were made, owners discovered that the vehicles were not consistent with what was advertised. The advertisement of the type of chip – which is a key configuration in a smart car – directly influenced the consumers’ purchasing decisions.”
On its part, Ora stated that replacing the Intel chips could be “difficult” and admitted that it couldn’t guarantee future Good Cat models would have the Qualcomm chip due to production constraints.