Remember the Neta V? Five months after its “soft launch” at the Malaysia Autoshow 2023, the Chinese compact EV crossover is now finally set for its official debut here on our shores. According to a post on its Facebook page, the Neta V will be officially launched in Malaysia on October 25, as part of its roadshow event at IOI City Mall in Putrajaya that will continue on over the weekend.
The launch will also mean we’ll finally get an official confirmed pricing for the Neta V. The EV crossover was initially given an indicative pricing of RM99,800 during its preview in May, with an early bird cash rebate essentially dropping its price tag down to RM89,900. In August, however, a photo of the Neta V’s alleged RM79,800 price tag started making its rounds on social media.
Neta’s local distributor Intro Synergy has denied that in a press statement, citing it as a mistake from the dealer, and adding that the official pricing will only to be announced at the model’s launch. The company previously announced that it has received more than 100 bookings for the Neta V at the Malaysia Autoshow 2023.
READ: Neta V selling at RM80k? Intro Synergy says its untrue – Malaysian official launch in September 2023
Since the Neta V’s preview, the Malaysian EV market has seen the addition of a handful of “budget-friendly” models, including the BYD Dolphin starting at RM100,530 on-the-road, without insurance. It’ll be interesting to see how the Neta V will be priced in an increasingly competitive market, although it’s unlikely that it’ll dip below the RM100k mark… not without any “special rebates” at least.
That’s because the Ministry of Investment, Trade, and Industry’s (MITI) latest guidelines on franchise AP specifically imposes a floor pricing for all imported BEV models, preventing them to be priced under the RM100k mark until the end of 2025 in a move to encourage local production of new energy vehicles in Malaysia. Neta can, however, offer cash rebates and promotional packages to “reduce” the car’s final pricing, so we’ll just have to wait and see.
The Neta V will be offered here in Malaysia in just one variant, powered by a single front-mounted electric motor that makes 95 hp and 150 Nm of torque. The motor is supplied by a relatively small 38.54 kWh battery pack, translating to a driving range of around 380 km on the more forgiving NEDC test cycle.
To charge, an on-board 6.6 kW AC charger will let you fill up the battery in eight hours. DC fast charging is also supported at up to 100 kW, taking approximately half an hour to go from 30-80%. As for performance, Neta quotes a 0-50 km/h time of 3.9 seconds, and a top speed of 120 km/h.
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