Meet the Neta GT: An Affordable All-Electric Coupe That Looks Fresh and Feels Fast

This year marked a premiere for battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) – one became the world's best-selling car in Q1 and Q2. It's the Tesla Model Y! Even though it had its title contested by some passionate analysts, this statistic still proves something important – people are very willing to give up on gas- and diesel-powered cars.

In the US, however, the popular vote goes toward Ford's F-Series pickup trucks. The Blue Oval sold nearly 383,000 vehicles, of which only 2.3% were the all-electric F-150 Lightning. Our love for large vehicles with a bed is as clear as day because the American auto sales in the first six months of 2023 put the Chevrolet Silverado in second place and Ram's units third. The popular everywhere Model Y came fourth.

But let's move to another continent and see what's happening there. Southeast Asia chose its runner-up in the first quarter of 2023 – the Hozon Neta V, a seemingly underpowered front-wheel-drive crossover SUV with a minimalist interior. But for the Chinese company, this was a breakthrough. The brand decided to expand to Indonesia starting October 2023 to celebrate it. That's where it will sell made-in-Thailand BEVs.

But Hozon's best product yet is something other brands didn't dare to make – an all-electric coupe. The Neta GT is a sleek, cool-looking small car boasting a modern interior design. With a sculpted body, a short wheelbase, massive doors, two-tone wheels, no exaggerated add-ons, and a decent-sized trunk (10.4 cu-ft with the second row up) and a small but deep frunk, this coupe tries to nail everything you might ask from such a BEV.

The styling may remind our European readers about the discontinued Renault Laguna. This French coupe was also credited with influencing the looks of the once-upon-a-time hip Mercedes-Benz E-Class Coupe.

Customers will find leather, soft plastic, and metal that combine tastefully and create a welcoming cabin.

There's a lot more to unpack

There's also a glass roof that allows more light to enter the interior, a rather tall 17.6-inch portrait-style infotainment screen powered by a chip commonly found in high-end smartphones (Snapdragon 8.1), and a rectangular 10.2-inch driver's display. The sports seats offer the driver and the front passenger bolstered support. They keep the people in their place thanks to generously-proportioned sides.

The coupe also has a 360-degree camera system, a 12-speaker sound system, a wireless charging pad, a couple of USB-C inlets, many options to adjust various settings, decent storage room in the center console and the doors, and three driving modes.

There are seats in the rear, but they're more suited for small children or luggage.

According to Inside China Auto, the Neta GT has a stiff suspension but can comfortably eat the bumps in the road without giving the driver the impression that the chassis is set up harshly. All the owner must get accustomed to is the width, which is a good thing for a sporty coupe that needs to remain connected to the ground even when it's being pushed to its limits.

The Neta GT measures 185.4 inches in length, 77.5 inches in width, and is 55.5 inches tall.

A real-life test revealed an energy consumption of 22.0 kWh per 62 miles (13.7 kWh per 100 kilometers) when driven normally and one-pedal driving left on.

Plenty of power - and range!

The rear-wheel-drive Neta GT you'll see in the video below puts out 228 hp and 229 lb-ft of torque, which is enough to propel the car from zero to 62 mph in 6.5 seconds. The all-wheel-drive dual-motor version raises the power output to 456 hp and 457 lb-ft of torque. The acceleration to 62 mph also gets quicker – just 3.7 seconds are needed.

Three battery packs are available – 64.2 kWh, 74.4 kWh, and 78 kWh. All three fit in the 106.3-inch wheelbase. When equipped with the largest battery, Neta GT can drive 360 miles. That's 50 miles less than the coupe sporting the middle option.

The least far you'll be able to go with this car on a full charge is 348 miles. Keep in mind that these figures are provided according to the CLTC testing procedure, which is reportedly more permissive than what the EPA is doing in the US.

Fast charging from 30% to 80% takes around half an hour when plugged into a DC fast charger.

All these goodies come with a price tag of RMB 178,800 (USD 24,708) for the single-motor unit and RMB 226,800 (USD 31,341) for the fully-loaded dual-motor model. That's some competitive pricing! Too bad it's only sold in China at the time of writing.

But is America ready to accept Chinese-made cars? We'll let you answer that.