NETA V electric car launched in Malaysia at an affordable RM100K OTR - NETA is also the latest brand to start making EVs here in Malaysia too

The Neta V compact EV has been officially launched in Malaysia. The NETA brand comes into Malaysia at its official launch earlier today and there is currently a 5-day promotion event taking place at IOI City Mall, Putrajaya this week till 29th October 2023 .

Intro Synergy Sdn. Bhd, the sole distributor of NETA in Malaysia, announced that the NETA V, an A/B segment fully compact sized electric vehicle will be available for booking in Malaysia with an on-the-road price of RM100,000. 

The NETA V will come with a 5-year or 150,000km warranty for general components, 8-year or 180,000km warranty for EV High Voltage Components including battery and on-board charger, and a 10-year or 200,000km warranty for the body.  It comes in 5 unique colours: Sakura Pink, Sky Blue, Moonlight Green, Midnight Gray, Cyan and White Storm. 

The NETA V is basically a compact crossover looking EV. The launch vehicle sport the brand's latest body kit for the car, which is exclusive to the Malaysian market.

The NETA V has a manufacturer's stated range of 380km (NEDC) on a single charge. So most likely a real-world range of around 300km is about right. The NETA V's electric motor produces up to 95kW of power and maximum torque of 160Nm. This allows the single speed, front wheel driven NETA V to accelerate from 0 to 50km/h in just 3.9 seconds and reaching a maximum speed of 120km/h (based on actual tests).

The NETA V supports both fast and slow charging, and is equipped with a battery management system optimization which shortens charging times; achieving 20% to 80% charge in approximately 30 minutes through DC Fast Charging, and is equipped with HEPT 3.0 Thermostatic Battery Management System, which utilises liquid cooling to maintain battery efficiency with minimal cooling energy.

NETA has also established a network of dealers and service centers in the Klang Valley, as well as the northern, southern and eastern regions of Peninsula Malaysia, and also in Sabah. The brand plans to further expand this network to cater for more customers as the brand gains momentum within the market segment.

While the NETA brand's introduction is its first EV in the passenger car segment, the GoAuto Group (parent group to Intro Synergy) has been in the electric commercial vehicle for several years. They were also Great Wall Motors (GWM) Haval distributors and they basically have their auto network in place to support NETA.

Through this partnership, NETA and Intro Synergy are committed to play its role in helping consumers transition to electric-based transportation modes as Malaysia drives towards carbon neutrality by the year 2050.

“As Malaysia works its way through issues such as subsidy rationalisation and other energy transitions, the introduction of the NETA brand to the Malaysian market signifies our commitment - as a local industry player - towards contributing to the national agenda from our standpoint", said GoAuto Group Executive Chairman, Dato' SM Azli SM Nasimuddin Kamal.

Dato' SM Azli also explained that through various partnerships and its own group investments, the group is committed to expanding their operations to allow consumers access to more EV products, and is currently planning to undertake manufacturing and assembly of various types of electric vehicles through our new assembly plant in Negeri Sembilan.

NETA Vice-President of NETA and President of Overseas Business Department, Mr. Alan Zhou said, "We are excited to see a lot of development and rapidly increasing interest within Malaysia for electric vehicles. We believe that the environmentally-friendly technology that is offered by NETA, along with our innovation to bringing the best value for consumers, will further excite the Malaysian market, and we are committed to making a positive contribution to the Malaysian market through our venture with Intro Synergy".

With a price tag of RM100,000 OTR, the NETA V comes with two package options to encourage drivers to make the EV switch. The first option is a free EV Starter Package, which includes important accessories for EV users such as home charger (and installation), V2L, and upgrades such as the above mentioned body kit, auto tailgate, tint film, CO2 eliminator and insurance. A second option is an interest-free package that extends up to 7 years, subject to terms and conditions. But from what we were told, the second package lets you 'save' RM10,000 from the price but you don't actually see it as the amount basically knocked off from the loan interest portion.

Our Opinion on the NETA V

But if this is your first EV, that option to purchase a home charger at a discounted price is actually necessary if you want fast charging at home. And charging ports are now mostly standardised, you can use the home charger for your next EV (if you get another one, that is). Personally, this is the main and only reason I would take the EV Starter Package over the interest free package. The bodykit isn't something I would consider as I do not think it helps with the styling of the NETA V - too much rear overhang and the body kit seems to make the rear end look heavier than it already is. Maybe a cleaner look and some 18 inch proper crossover sized wheels will make it look complete. Now it needs a little bit of visual work to make it look better.

The front's styling may have that grille-less front end but the rear tail lights, seem like they've come out of a Lexus sports sedan. The sides seem to take abit from a Mazda CX series SUV, but that said, looks are subjective. Some people like looking at horses. Some love buffalo. Some love ostriches. As for the interior, it is an entry level car and you have lots of hard touch plastics inside. There is that leather seat and leather wrapped steering wheel to lift things up as well as the large infotainment screen in the middle of the dashboard. The best thing about the switchgear and steering wheel size and setup is that it seems to have come out of a Peugeot vendor's partsbin. The insrument cluster is a small strip which you look over the smallish steering wheel rather than through the top part of the steering. Totally Peugeot circa 2023. The Chinese car makers usually surprise us with stuff like this.

There is no tilt or reach for the steering wheel but for average height Malaysians, it does not seem too much of a problem. Legroom up front is decent and seems to be only adequate at the rear and seems to be about right for a car that sits in the middle of the A and B segments.

At RM100K, competition is stiff in terms of fossil powered models out there - the lack of top speed may be an issue. The only benefit is that this would be a good city car or a good first car for your kid who just got their driver's license. You can actually program the top speed to whatever speed you want, i.e 60kmh and that's it. But knowing that the car cannot cross 120kmh unless you're rolling downhill, and that 300 or so km range, you can worry less about your kid suddenly deciding to take a cross-country drive to Penang or to Kuantan from KL. Unless they seriously plan to do so with their route marked out in detail.

So there is a reason for some to buy the NETA V if you think about it in this sort of way.