Looks familiar, doesn’t it?
First previewed as a concept at the 2021 Shanghai Auto Show, Hozon Auto‘s Neta S fully-electric sport sedan is one step closer to becoming a production model with the EV currently undergoing tests at what seems to be the company’s proving grounds.
Set to be officially unveiled this March, the Neta S, at first glance, appears very much like a mish-mash of existing Chinese EV sedans like the NIO ET7, Lucid Air and Xpeng P7, especially when you look at the slim headlights and coupe-like roofline.
It’s not exactly a bad thing (for Hozon Auto at least) because the Neta S looks decent to say the least with its balanced proportions and no-nonsense styling. Not only that, its clean surfaces and low-slung profile help the car achieve a low drag coefficient of approximately 0.23 Cd.
The interior is expectedly simple and futuristic, with a minimalist dual-layer dashboard that houses a digital instrument panel and another display for the passenger. The instrument panel, if it is what we think it is, looks a little too small and is out of the driver’s line of sight. That being said, there looks to be a projected head-up display that would definitely be much more useful.
Of course, the real party piece here is the massive screen that sticks out of the centre console a like sore thumb. It doesn’t look like it can be adjusted like the one in the new Mercedes-AMG SL but we imagine it comes with all the latest tech and features to compete with the highly advanced Mercedes-Benz User Experience (MBUX) infotainment system.
As for the powertrain, CarNewsChina reports that the Neta S will be offered in two versions. The first one is fully electric, obtaining its power from a two-motor configuration that provides a healthy total system output of 340 kW (462 hp) and 600 Nm. Performance-wise, it is capable of completing the century sprint in 3.9 seconds. No mention of battery pack, but it is said that a 710 km of driving range (NEDC) is possible with this version.
The other version is powered by a range-extender hybrid powertrain, which means it will have an internal combustion engine that is solely tasked to keep the electric motor charged. According to the Chinese automotive website, this version can travel up to 1,100 km. Not exactly a ridiculous figure, given that the ultra-long-range version of the NIO ET7 offers over 1,000 km of range.
What’s more, the Neta S will also be equipped with Level 4 autonomous driving suite of technologies, which include, among others, 32 sensors and two Lidar sensors.
