New Chinese EV Brand Neta Poised For Malaysian Market Entry Soon

Image source: Neta Malaysia Facebook.

After GWM and BYD, Malaysia is set to welcome yet another Chinese electric vehicle (EV) brand to enter its market. Called Neta, the brand comes from a group called Hozon Auto New Energy Automobile Co.,Ltd. (or Hozon Auto for short).

If you’ve never heard of either name before, we’ll bring you up to speed. Co-founded in 2014 by Beijing Sinohytec and Zhejiang Yangtze Delta Region Institute of Tsinghua University, Hozon Auto touts itself as an up-start all-electric car marque headquartered in Zhejiang, China.

In 2019, a year after its establishment, Hozon Auto opened its very own Autonomous Vehicle Research Centre located in California. It also has a Design Centre located in China’s capital of Beijing that was established in 2019.

Hozon Auto '@' Concept from 2017 (image source: CarNewsChina.com).

In the midst of all this, Hozon Auto created its first concept vehicle simply dubbed the ‘@’ in 2017. It was a rather striking-looking crossover SUV that featured radical gullwing doors. From here, the firm began developing its Neta brand and launched its first production vehicle, the Neta 01, in China in 2018.

Presently, Hozon Auto through its Neta brand offers no less than three models on sale in China, those being the Neta S, Neta U-II, and the Neta V – all three appearing to be urban crossover SUVs. Having set up its official Malaysian website and social media handles (FB, IG, Twitter), the model prominently featured here is the Neta V offering.

This likely suggests that the firm will break into the local market with the Neta V offering first, which is currently on sale in neighbouring Thailand. It features a 38.5 kWh lithium ion battery pack that juices a front-mounted motor outputting 94 HP (70 kW) and 150 NM, promising up to 384 KM in range (NEDC), 0-50 KM/H sprints in 3.9 seconds, and a claimed V-max of 101 KM/H.

As for charging, the Neta V accepts AC (Type 2) and DC fast-charging inputs, the former up to 6.6 kW and the latter up to a rate of 100 kW. Full charges via AC inputs takes roughly 8 hours whilst DC rapid charging promises 30-80% charges in just 30 minutes. It even boasts a vehicle-to-load (V2L) output abilities of up to 3.3 kW.

As for size, the Neta V sits slightly smaller than the current Toyota Yaris hatchback. It’s measurements reads at 4,070 MM long with a 2,420 MM wheelbase, 1,690 MM wide, and 1,540 MM tall. Given its size and powertrain specs and range, the Neta V will perhaps be presented as more of an urban or city car offering, much like the GWM Ora Good Cat and the upcoming BYD Dolphin hatch.

In terms of kit, the Thai-spec Neta V offers plenty of notable items such as 16-inch alloy wheels, LED DRLs and taillights, keyless entry with a ‘Ride & Go’ system, a 12-inch digital instrument display, 14.6-inch infotainment touchscreen primed with a reverse camera and a six-speaker audio system, power adjustable front seats, electronic parking brake (EPB), cruise control, as well as faux leather upholstery.

The absence of any driver assists (ADAS) features further fuels the Neta V’s proposition as a ‘basic’ offering. Adding to which is the presence of just two airbags. However, it will offer auto brake-hold, hill-start assist, a tyre pressure monitor, plus a passive cruise control suite. Perhaps its rather ‘affordable’ THB549,000 (approx. RM71,000) price tag also stand as cues of its status as a ‘basic’ offering.

Neta's official Malaysian website, Neta.my.

At this point, the Neta brand’s Malaysian website and social media pages gives no clear indication of when it will officially launch. At the time of writing, there’s also no clear indication of the brand appointing a local distributor yet, though we reckon this will also be revealed in due time too.

While we await further details surrounding Neta’s distribution partner and official launch date, the prospects of seeing a new name and product in an ever competitive space should be exciting for most Malaysians. Furthermore, given how similarly close EVs are priced both here and in the Kingdom north of our border, there’s the promise of the brand being a true bang-for-buck alternative to look forward to.

What are your thoughts then? Excited to see the entry of yet another Chinese EV marque with an ‘affordable’ offering? Hit the comments below with your thoughts…