Chinese electric vehicle (EV) startup Automobile announced Friday that it will enter the new energy vehicle market of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to compete in the worldwide industry and kick off its globalization journey.

The announcement coincides with the 18th China-ASEAN Expo in Nanning on September 10. The electric car brand backed by Qihoo 360, China's largest cyber security company, unveiled a right-hand-drive version of its Neta V for overseas markets.

The model has a range of 401km and is equipped with a 14.6-inch center screen and a 12-inch instrument screen.

It supports intelligent features including fixed-speed cruise control, keyless entry and buttonless start, according to Neta.

The Neta S model, which represents Neta's exploration of intelligence, will also enter the European market when it goes on sale in 2022 to accelerate the company's globalization strategy process, it said.

Neta was founded in October 2014. The first Neta model was launched in November 2018, and as of today, Neta has 2 models on sale - the Neta V and Neta U Pro.

The Neta V is priced between RMB 59,900 ($9,390) and 75,900 yuan in China, and the Neta U Pro has an official guide price between RMB 99,800 and 159,800 yuan after subsidies.

Earlier this month, Neta said it delivered 6,613 vehicles in August, up 449 percent year-on-year and up 10 percent from July. It delivered a cumulative total of 33,728 cars from January to August, up 367 percent year-over-year.

Late last month, Neta signed a comprehensive partnership agreement with to use the latter's technology in future models.

According to the agreement, Neta and Huawei will start a comprehensive cooperation in the fields of intelligent network connectivity, in-vehicle computing, smart driving, digital energy and cloud services.

The Neta S is the first model to be created by the two companies, and it will use Huawei's MDC intelligent driving computing platform and LiDAR technology, according to an announcement made by Neta.

According to the company's previous statement, the Neta S will go on sale at the end of next year and is a B-class electric coupe based on a new platform.

Neta signs deal with AI chipmaker Horizon, aims to release jointly built model next year

(Photo source: Neta)