After achieving initial success in the Thai market with the Neta V subcompact electric SUV, the Chinese EV manufacturer is looking for openings to enter other market segments.
Although it currently only offers one product in Thailand, Neta does offer a full range of electric vehicles back in China and has many upcoming projects with leading IT companies in developing future models too.
Formed just nine years ago, Neta Auto has sold 270,000 vehicles worldwide and is one of China's fastest-growing EV producers. Its current product line-up consists of the Neta U, V, S and GT models.
In Thailand, Neta has sold more than 3,000 Neta V's and plans to achieve sales of 10,000 units by the end of this year. Neta currently has 27 showrooms and service centres nationwide, which it plans to increase to 50 by the end of 2023.
Neta has also decided to assemble vehicles in Thailand by joining hands with Bangchan General Assembly. The first Neta EVs are expected to roll out from the Thai plant in 2024. Right-hand-drive variants will be produced for both the domestic and Asean markets.
While the Neta V is a bread-and-butter model for the Chinese EV maker thanks to its affordable price tag of 549,000 baht, Neta is looking for opportunities to market other models like the S, which is more upmarket.
The Neta S is currently available only in China, but there are plans to sell this model in Europe as well as other markets. While it retails at about 1.8 million baht in China, the Neta S could carry a price tag of 2.5 million baht if it is offered in Thailand, according to Neta officials.
One of the products that Neta is interested in bringing is the Neta S, and the company recently invited Thai auto media for a short encounter with this powerful electric sports saloon at the Pathumthani Speedway.
Design
Although not for sale, the Neta S was actually displayed at the Motor Expo late last year as well as the Bangkok Motor Show in April this year. On both occasions, it did not fail to impress with its spectacular scissor front doors and colourful interior design.
The Neta S is based on the Shanhai platform, which accommodates many types of vehicle with varying wheelbases.
Neta designers said that during the development stage of the Neta S, more than 1,000 people were asked about what their ideal B-class sedan looked like. The information was incorporated into the design while ensuring an attractive front end, as well as the comfort and practicality of the cockpit.
"We want to develop an autonomous solution closer to consumers' driving habits and driving styles," said one of the designers.
The Neta S has a sleek fastback design with a length of 4,980mm and a width of 1,980mm (wider than a Mercedes-EQ EQS). It also has a low roofline of 1,450mm and a wheelbase of 2,980mm. Multi-spoke 19in black alloy wheels mated to high-performance 245/45 ZR19 Michelin Pilot Sport tyres also add to the sporty appearance.
While many EVs do not offer storage space up front, the Neta S does offer a small area under the bonnet, although the luggage compartment at the rear is quite limited for a car this size.
Nevertheless, the Neta S makes up for that with its attractive styling both inside and out.
The good-looking front end features aggressive-looking daytime running lights. Headlights and tail lights are LEDs while signalling lights are all sequential LEDs. The panoramic glass roof is huge, measuring 1.9m² and opens up the interior with a sense of spaciousness. The glass is tinted but unfortunately, there's no sunblind.
Besides electrically-powered scissor front doors, all door handles are hidden -- they pop out when the car is unlocked and open up to the bright red interior.
There's a mix of materials offering a good level of luxury ranging from Alcantara to carbon design trim. The red seats are powered both front and rear (the backrest angle can be adjusted by 8 degrees) and there's plenty of legroom and elbow room for all occupants. The only disadvantage is the poor headroom leaving limited space between the rear passengers' heads and the glass roof.
The multi-function steering has 4-way manual adjustment (not electric) but looks super sporty and is not crammed with buttons (there are haptic roller controls in order to keep things simple). Actually, there aren't any buttons on the console or on the seats -- all adjustments are done via touch.
The cockpit features as many as four digital displays comprising of a 13.3-inch instrument cluster, a huge 17.6-inch centre touchscreen, a 12.3-inch display for the front passenger and an augmented reality head-up display.
There are two types of USB ports both front and rear, as well as a wireless charging pad for smartphones/remote. The rear centre armrest is quite large and features touch controls for the rear seat backrest. The only thing missing here is a massage function.
The Neta S comes with the third-generation Snapdragon Automotive Cockpit Platform and highly reliable BlackBerry QNX Neutrino RTOS and QNX Hypervisor, which allows for scalability and flexibility. Apart from 5G communication, there are 21 loudspeakers (some built into the headrests) around the cabin.
The Neta S Special Version (sport performance) featured in this review is equipped with Neta Pilot 3.0 which is equivalent to level-three autonomous driving (there's also a Lidar version that has level-four technology and a longer range).
There's a total of 11 cameras around the car plus five wave radars and 12 ultrasonic radars, providing high-speed pilot assistance, memory parking and car summoning functions.
Performance
The left-hand-drive Chinese-spec Neta S Special Version tested is the more powerful of the two S variants, coming with dual electric motors producing a whopping 462hp and 620Nm.
Power is transmitted to all four wheels, catapulting the car from 0-100kph in just 3.9sec.
Unfortunately, the top speed is just 185kph, which is average for a mid-priced electric car.
The 91kWh battery pack provides the car with a range of 650km CLTC (Chinese test cycle) which should drop to approximately 500km in the WLTP test cycle. This is plentiful still, considering most people don't drive more than 200km per day.
Apart from checking out the design highlights of the Neta S, the media also had a chance to drive the car on a special track laid out at the Pathumthani Speedway. It appears that the steering along with the front double wishbone/rear 5-link suspension of the Neta S has been tuned nicely.
While the acceleration from standstill was impressively quick, the Neta S also provided crisp handling through the corners as well as slalom driving, with accurate steering and good body control. There's some understeer as you reach the limits but the Neta S regains grip pretty well thanks to its all-wheel-drive system.
The all-wheel disc brakes also provide surefootedness when having to decelerate the 2,130kg electric car quickly.
Verdict
For those who can't afford high-performance American or German EVs, the Neta S is a more affordable and realistic choice, but only if Neta decides to add this model to its line-up in Thailand.
Pros: Great performance, attractive design, loads of intelligent features
Cons: Low top speed, limited rear headroom, no roof headliner
