This Neta V compact electric vehicle might outsell BYD and Great Wall if after sales is promising.
Neta Auto, a China EV startup, made systematic progress in 2022, with tremendous changes in branding, product, sales, technology, channel, and overseas expansion.
It moved on towards new and upward development. On January 1, 2023, the brand shared its 2022 sales data. It cumulatively sold 152,073 units in 2022, up 118% year on year (YoY), marking year-on-year increase for the 29th consecutive month.
It also becomes the first China EV startup selling over 150,000 vehicles a year. 3,456 of them were delivered to overseas customers.
As of late December 2022, Neta Auto had delivered 248,050 units. It spent merely eight months selling 100,000 vehicles for the second time, five times faster than it sold 100,000 units for the first time, a new record among EV startups in China.
Sales in 2022 accounted for 61% of total sales of Neta Auto since its establishment, showing unstoppable development of the brand.
So, it is clear that Chinese Auto manufacturers have the leverage right now to introduce lower priced electric cars in Malaysia and the move started last year with the Great Wall Ora Good Cat and soon after it was the BYD Atto3.
So, this is why we now see the arrival of a brand new Chinese electric car manufacturer, HOZON and its Neta V compact electric car.
This brand on March 21st started shipping 3,600 Neta V electric cars from the Guangzhou Nansha port and it was the largest single vehicle export to date by a new Chinese car manufacturer.
The destination for this Chinese electric vehicle (EV) was Thailand where it has its base to ramp up its distribution efforts for Southeast Asia.
Interestingly, to date, Neta has established a European division, a Thai subsidiary, launched three overseas products including Neta U global version, Neta V global version and Neta V right-hand drive version and has a firm presence overseas across ASEAN, South Asia and Middle East markets.
Right now Neta sells the following models Neta V, Neta U-II and Neta S in China, which have a starting selling price from RMB 83,900 (USD12,190), 135,800 and 242,800 respectively.
The company has already delivered 7,117 vehicles in February this year, which is up 255 percent from a year earlier, but down 35 percent from 11,009 units in January, data released by the company earlier in the month showed.
On March 10th 2023, Neta laid the groundbreaking for its plant in Bangkok, Thailand, which will be its main manufacturing base for building right-hand drive electric vehicles for export to ASEAN, including Malaysia.
The plant is Neta’s first overseas factory and the first in Thailand. When completed, the plant will have a capacity of 20,000 units per year and is expected to be operational by the end of January 2024, Neta said earlier this month.
Now, in Thailand, the Neta V is priced from RM68,000 (549,000 baht) with local incentives which means when it is launched in Malaysia it should be priced just below RM90k with a decent margin for after sales and warranty claims.
Neta V Specifications
Motor: 70 kW PMSM
Dimension: 4070 x 1690 x 1540 mm
Wheelbase: 2420 mm
Max Power: 95 PS
Max Torque: 160 Nm
Transmission: Automatic
Drive Type: FWD
Top Speed: 100 Km/h
Battery Capacity: 38.54 kWh Li-Ion
Range: 380 km (claimed)
Charging Time: 6 – 8 hours (30%-80% in 20 mins with DC Fast Charging)
Front Tyre: 185/65 R16 – Disc
Rear Tyre: 185/65 R16– Disc
Tubeless Tyres: Yes
Safety System: Airbags, ABS, EBD, CSC, HA
Suspension Setup: McPherson Strut and Trailing Arm Semi-Independent
Seating: 5-Seater
Storage Capacity: 335-liter (extendable up to 552-liter)
Ground Clearance: 160 mm
Kerb Weight: 1151 kg
Colors: Gray, Blue, White, Cyan, Pink
