This light blue little wonder is a Neta V, a subcompact Chinese electric crossover. I met the V in the Chinese capital Beijing in the endless summer of 2023. The design is interesting, with oddly large lights and oddly small wheels. But overall, it is a great compact EV, competing in a hotly contested segment of the Chinese car market.
Neta is one of China’s many new NEV brands. It is owned by a company called Hozon Auto. The Neta brand was launched in 2018. The Neta V hit the Chinese EV market in 2020. In 2023, Neta launched an updated variant of the V, which is called the Neta Aya.
The Neta V has some interesting design details: traditional door handles instead of pop-out handles, indicators on the front wheel-arch, and extra large mirrors. The color of this car is called ‘Sky Blue’.
Without any doubt: the Neta V offered the largest infotainment screen for its class, In fact, with 14.6-inch, it is a larger screen than most cars in the segment above. It also has a super flat 12-inch instrument palen, located almost at the windshield’s edge. The V is an EV so the floor is flat. Below the screen is a small storage space, and the center tunnel has an armrest and two cup holders. The drive selector is on the steering wheel column.
The rear seats are very flat but there seems to be enough space for 2+1. The floor mats are after-market.
The Neta V is a front-wheel drive car, powered by a single electric motor. Neta offers various variants:54 hp/110 Nm, 70 hp/150 Nm, and 95 hp/150 Nm. Electricity is stored in a CATL lithium-ion battery of 31 kWh or 38 kWh.
There is no way to see on the car which version it is, they all look the same. For this story’s sake, I will take the top-spec version: 95 hp, 150 Nm, with a 38 kWh battery. The top speed is 121 km/h and 0-50 takes 3.9 seconds. Electricity is stored in a 38.54 (got to be precise) kWh battery for a 401 km range.
Character time! On the left: 合众汽车, Hézhòng Qìchē, Hozon Auto. On the right: 哪吒V, Nǎzhā V, Neta V. In the middle, under the rear window, NETA, all in caps. More Neta cars soon later!