Neta Aya Scored Zero Stars, Exeed Sterra ET Won Car of the Year 2024

In December 2024 ASEAN NCAP gave the Neta V zero stars overall, and Grab Malaysia went on to ban every Neta vehicle from its e-hailing services. The Neta is the odd one out in a trio of Chinese cars that also includes a retro-styled hatchback from Great Wall Motor and a range-extender SUV that won a national car of the year award.

Neta Aya: the subcompact crossover formerly called the V

The Neta Aya is a battery electric subcompact crossover from Hozon Auto, built under the Neta (Nezha) brand by the Zhejiang Hezhong New Energy Automobile Company. It was launched in 2020 as the Neta V and renamed the Aya in August 2023.

The original V rides on the HPC platform it shares with the Neta U. A single electric motor on the front axle, shared with the Neta N01, makes 75 bhp (56 kW; 76 PS) and 175 N m (129 lb ft). The lithium-ion battery is rated at 401 km (249 mi) on the NEDC cycle, and the car reaches 50 km/h (31 mph) from rest in 3.9 seconds.

In August 2023 an updated Neta V with a new exterior and interior went on sale. It became the Aya in China and several other markets and the V-II elsewhere, with four variants in China.

A zero-star crash rating, a retro hatchback and a range extender that won Car of the Year.

Neta V and Aya safety rating and the Grab ban

ASEAN NCAP tested the Neta V in December 2024 and gave it zero stars overall. The testers cited excessive intrusion of the steering wheel and A-pillar in the frontal offset crash, missing seatbelt pretensioners and side head protection technology, and poor fitment of pedestrian and motorcyclist protection. The news outlet InsideEVs noted a lack of basic safety equipment. As a result of the rating, Grab Malaysia banned all Neta vehicles from its e-hailing services.

Neta V-II and Aya in Southeast Asia

In Indonesia the V arrived at the 30th Gaikindo show in August 2023, as Neta entered the market, with sales starting on 24 October 2023. It is Neta's first model there, imported from China in a single unnamed variant. The facelifted V-II followed on 30 April 2024 at the Periklindo Electric Vehicle Show and went on sale on 22 May. Unlike the earlier car, it was assembled locally by Handal Indonesia Motor in Bekasi, West Java, where trial production took place on 22 April 2024 and mass production began on 31 May 2024 and continued until mid-2025.

Malaysia met the V at the 2023 Malaysian Autoshow in May 2023, as Neta's first model there, and launched it on 25 October 2023 for RM100,000. That made it one of the most affordable EVs in the country, undercut only by the Proton e.MAS 5, at RM60,000 to 80,000. Singapore received the Aya on 15 January 2025 in a single variant with a 40.7 kWh battery. Thailand had it first, from 24 August 2022, as Neta's first model there. The V-II followed in March 2024 in Lite and Smart trims, assembled at Bangchan General Assembly's plant in Khan Na Yao District, Bangkok.

Ora Good Cat: Great Wall's retro electric hatchback

The Ora Good Cat is a battery electric hatchback made by Great Wall Motor under its Ora marque since November 2020. Its name changes with the market: Ora Funky Cat in several, GWM Ora 03 in Europe, Brazil and Indonesia, and GWM Ora in Australia and Nepal.

It was shown at the Chengdu Auto Show on 24 July 2020 with a retro look styled by former Porsche designer Emanuel Derta. Sales in China began on 24 November 2020. Thailand started importing it on 29 October 2021, and GWM began selling the Funky Cat in Europe in 2022. Euro NCAP tested the car in September 2022.

Ora Good Cat battery, range and the GT

The Tech and Pro trims have a 47.8 kWh LFP battery good for 400 km (250 mi) on the NEDC cycle, and a front motor of 143 PS (141 hp; 105 kW) and 210 N m (155 lb ft) giving a top speed of 152 km/h (94 mph). The Ultra has a 63.1 kWh ternary Li-NMC pack, stretching the NEDC range to 500 km (310 mi) with the same motor.

The GT adds more aggressive styling and a motor of 170 hp (172 PS; 127 kW) and 210 N m (155 lb ft), with a claimed range of 300 to 400 km (190 to 250 mi). A June 2025 facelift made the front motor 171 PS (126 kW) with 220 Nm, and every trim now has an LFP battery rated at 430 km on China's CLTC cycle.

Where the Ora Good Cat is sold

Australia launched the GWM Ora on 5 July 2023 in Standard Range, Extended Range, Ultra and GT versions; the Ultra was dropped in August 2024. An August 2025 update moved Australian supply from China to Thailand and fitted a 57.7 kWh LFP battery to every variant, leaving Lux, Ultra (limited to 30 units) and GT. New Zealand got four variants on 9 February 2023.

The Funky Cat made its European debut in October 2022 and became the Ora 03 in November 2023 under the "One GWM" branding strategy. Brazil began with the Ora 03 Skin and GT on 20 July 2023, and Mexico on 1 October 2023 with Premium and Luxury versions using the 47.8 kWh battery. South Africa followed on 15 November 2023 with four variants including the 400 GT Ultra Luxury.

Indonesia saw the Ora 03 previewed at the Gaikindo show on 10 August 2023 and launched on 26 June 2025, imported with the 47.8 kWh battery. Malaysia started on 28 November 2022 with the 400 Pro and 500 Ultra, and a November 2025 update brought the 57.7 kWh pack and the GT. In Thailand the imports from October 2021 were followed by a launch on 21 March 2022 with the 400 Tech, 400 Pro and 500 Ultra, and the GT arrived in June 2022. The Tech was dropped in February 2023, and local assembly at the GWM Thailand plant began in January 2024. GWM Thailand announced in February 2026 that it would stop selling the Good Cat to make way for the Ora 5.

Exeed Sterra ET: Chery's premium electric and range-extender SUV

The Exeed Sterra ET, sold as the Exeed Exlantix ET outside China, is a battery electric and range-extended mid-size luxury crossover from Exeed, Chery's premium brand. It was first shown on 7 April 2023 at the Chery Night event before Auto Shanghai, where the Sterra sub-brand was unveiled, and its interior followed at the 2023 Chengdu Motor Show. Production started on 19 January 2024, presales opened on 15 April and sales began in China on 9 May. It was the first vehicle to use CATL's Shenxing 2.0 battery.

It is the second Sterra after the ES sedan and shares that car's platform and 3,000 mm (118.1 in) wheelbase. Exeed aims it at the Tesla Model Y, Nio ES7 and XPeng G9; it is priced like the Model Y but is slightly bigger. The all-wheel-drive range extender opened for pre-orders on 15 November 2024 at Auto Guangzhou, with deliveries from 15 December. Between 15 April and 9 May 2024, 18,397 pre-orders were received in 24 days. On 27 January 2025 the range-extender AWD won Car of the Year 2024 at CCTV's China Auto Awards, with judges from CATARC, the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers and Dealers and the Society of Automotive Engineers praising its engine, four-wheel drive and self-driving assistance.

Exeed Sterra ET design, cabin and driver assistance

The front has no grille, with a lower intake with active shutters, light-bar daytime running lights and split headlights. An optional array of 180 LEDs between the headlight and fog lamp modules forms a "light language system" for communicating with pedestrians. The taillight bar uses 262 LEDs, and the drag coefficient is 0.26 Cd. A roof-mounted LiDAR is optional, the frameless doors have pop-out handles and the wheels are 20 inches.

The suspension is double wishbone in front and multi-link behind, with KHAT air springs and continuous damping that reads upcoming road conditions through the LiDAR. Ride height varies by up to 100 mm (3.9 in) in seven steps and drops to its lowest setting above 120 km/h (75 mph) to cut drag. Exeed claims the combination reduces pitch by 30% and roll by 20%.

Inside are a 10.25-inch floating instrument panel, a 23-inch head-up display, a 15.6-inch 2.5K screen and a D-shaped two-spoke steering wheel. The infotainment first ran a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8155 and was later upgraded to an 8295P, with the Lion AI model behind the voice assistant. The console is separate from the dashboard, which leaves an open footwell. Other features include three-zone climate control with a heat pump, a 2.38-square-metre (25.6 sq ft) panoramic sunroof and an available 23-speaker 7.1.4 audio system. Outer seats heat, ventilate and massage, and the passenger seat has a zero-gravity recline. The boot holds 546 L (19.3 cu ft), or 1,835 L (64.8 cu ft) with the rear seats down, and electric models add a 60 L (2.1 cu ft) frunk.

The driver-assistance system, called Falcon Smart Driving, uses 30 sensors including a Bosch LiDAR and two Nvidia Drive Orin chips with 508 TOPS in total. At launch it offered Level 2 supervised driving on highways only. A second-quarter over-the-air update opened up urban driving in a limited number of cities with high-resolution maps, and a fourth-quarter update allowed use on any road without those maps. The car can park itself and handle valet parking. All versions can power outside devices, with 6 kW on electric models and 3.3 kW on range extenders.

Exeed Sterra ET battery electric and range-extender specifications

Electric Sterra ETs run on 800 volts with CATL batteries and a 230 kW (310 hp; 310 PS) rear motor producing 425 N m (313 lb ft). The standard 77 kWh LFP Shenxing 2.0 pack charges from 30 to 80 percent in 9 minutes at 4C, or from 20 to 80 percent in 24 minutes at -20 C (-4 F). Rear-drive CLTC range is 625 km (388 mi) and all-wheel drive, with a 123 kW (165 hp; 167 PS) front motor, 540 km (340 mi). Acceleration to 100 km/h takes 6.4 and 4.7 seconds, and top speed is 200 km/h (124 mph).

The 100 kWh NMC Qilin pack is slower, at 15 minutes for 30 to 80 percent. Rear-drive range is 760 km (470 mi), while the Ultra all-wheel-drive car, with a 183 kW (245 hp; 249 PS) front motor, manages 655 km (407 mi). Times to 100 km/h are 6.6 and 3.8 seconds with a top speed of 210 km/h (130 mph).

The range extender works on a 400-volt system. Its 1.5-litre turbocharged Miller-cycle four-cylinder has a 14.5:1 compression ratio and a claimed peak thermal efficiency of 44.5%, producing 115 kW (154 hp; 156 PS) and 220 N m (160 lb ft), and it never drives the wheels. The rear-drive car has a 195 kW (261 hp; 265 PS) motor and a 32 kWh CATL LFP battery, a 7.8 second sprint to 100 km/h, and it runs out of pace at 180 km/h (110 mph). Range is 161 km (100 mi) electric and 1,373 km (853 mi) combined on the WLTP cycle, or 200 km (120 mi) and 1,518 km (943 mi) on the CLTC.

The all-wheel-drive version, marketed as Snow Leopard 4WD, adds a 150 kW (200 hp; 200 PS) front motor and a 41.2 kWh Gotion pack, cutting the 100 km/h sprint to 4.8 seconds; it tops out at 195 km/h (121 mph). Its electronic slip control responds in under 0.05 seconds. On the WLTP cycle it covers 200 km (120 mi) on the battery and 1,300 km (810 mi) in total, and the CLTC ratings are 240 km (150 mi) and 1,500 km (930 mi). Export markets mostly receive range extenders, while Norway sells only the pure electric.

Exeed EX7 and Exlantix ET for export

The Exeed EX7 is a Sterra ET with a restyled front end patented in China in November 2025. It comes as a battery electric car and an extended-range car, is about 5 metres long with a 3 metre wheelbase, and went on sale in China on 19 April 2026 after first images appeared on 7 February 2026 with new colours and wheels.

Outside China the car is the Exlantix ET, sold only with range-extender powertrains. It has a waterfall grille with vertical chrome strips, simplified vertical headlights in place of the LED display, a wider lower intake and no roof LiDAR. For cold markets such as Russia it has stronger anti-corrosion coatings on the chassis and aluminium exterior panels. The first export car rolled off the line on 8 January 2025, and Exeed planned to reach 20 countries by the end of 2025.

The Russian-market Exlantix ET was unveiled on 24 September 2024. Sales were due in the first quarter of 2025, after a delay from the fourth quarter of 2024 for more cold weather testing. It receives over-the-air updates and carries localised infotainment that includes Yandex Navigator.

Neta Aya, Ora Good Cat and Exeed Sterra ET side by side