NETA Auto recently debuted in Singapore last January 5 at the Singapore Motor Show 2025. In the last year, the company expanded NETA into Southeast Asian countries such as Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia.
WHAT IS NETA?
NETA is the electric vehicle (EV) brand of Chinese car maker, Hozon Auto. Hozon Auto was founded in 2014 and releases its vehicles under the NETA brand. It is known for producing EVs at a competitive and affordable price. The company debuted its first car in 2018 called the NETA N01, a compact SUV. NETA was further supported by three government units from China, specifically from Yichun, Tongxiang, and Nanning. These three regional government units invested 5 billion RMB (1.09 billion AUD) into the company.
Prior to launching in Singapore, negative news circulated online regarding the brand. Last January 6, NETA’s official website malfunctioned, prompting rumours of a flash crash. These rumours worried the market after fellow Chinese carmaker Jiyue Auto experienced a flash crash in December 2024. Though NETA strongly refuted these claims, 2024 did not prove to be a positive year for the company.
In early 2024, NETA shut down its production plant in Zhejiang, China due to declining sales. The company’s sales performance declined further from the period of January to September of that year, selling only 53,853 units in China. The company was unable to achieve its yearly sales targets and sold only 4,000 units in October 2024. These low sales performances forced the company to cut employee salaries and restructured its internal salary plan.
According to CarNewsChina, “NETA suffers from slow sales in China.” However, it is possible for the EV maker to recuperate its losses via global expansion. NETA entered the South American and South African markets with plans to expand to Europe as well. In Asia, the company expanded operations to Central and Southeast Asia, its latest foray being in Singapore.
NETA IN SOUTHEAST ASIA
NETA Auto launched at the Singapore Motor Show with 52 orders secured for the X and AYA. Both models passed Singapore’s National Electric Vehicle Specialist Safety (NESS) certification. According to NETA Vice President Sun Guang, the Singaporean market is both vital to NETA’s expansion and the Southeast Asian economy.
The company’s first overseas plant was established in Bangkok, Thailand in March 2023. This plant has served as NETA’s production hub for the Southeast Asian region since January 2024. To tailor its cars to Thailand’s auto market, the company began developing the Neta V-II with a right-hand drive. It should be noted, however, that the NETA V was rated 0 stars by the ASEAN NCAP last December 2024.
Following its expansion in Thailand, NETA expanded operations to Indonesia in August 2023. The company began delivering cars to the archipelago in November 2023. Vehicle assembly in Indonesia was accomplished in PT Handal Motor’s production facility in April 2024. In September 2024, NETA debuted the NETA X in Indonesia, targeted towards young, growing families.
NETA is set to develop further overseas expansion over the next two years. The company intends to broaden its current sales network over 50 countries.
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Cover photo credits:
Jengtingchen, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
