Neta's decline in December deliveries was a surprise, as several of its local peers reported record deliveries earlier today.

Neta Auto, Hozon Auto's electric vehicle brand, saw an unexpectedly large drop in deliveries in December, for which the company offered no specific explanation.

Neta sold 152,073 units in 2022, up 118 percent from a year earlier, with 3,456 units delivered overseas, it showed in figures released today.

Neta did not provide figures for a single month in December, though CnEVPost's calculations show it delivered 7,795 units in December, considering it had delivered 144,278 units through the end of November.

This is 23.03 percent lower than the 10,127 units delivered in the same month last year and 48.28 percent lower than the 15,072 units delivered in November.

Neta's performance in December was a surprise. Earlier today, several of its local peers posted record December deliveries, including 15,815 units for Nio, 21,233 units for Li Auto, and 11,337 units for Zeekr.

In the fourth quarter, Neta delivered 40,883 vehicles, up 44.73 percent from the same period last year and down 14.93 percent from the third quarter.

By the end of December 2022, Neta's total deliveries since inception reached 248,050 units, according to the company.

Neta is currently targeting the primarily budget EV market, with the company's main models Neta V and Neta U priced at around RMB 100,000 ($14,500).

On July 31, 2022, Neta officially launched its flagship sedan, the Neta S, with a price range of RMB 199,800 - 338,800. Deliveries of the model began on November 30 as part of Neta's efforts to enter the premium market.

Neta U delivered 51,021 units in 2022, up 155 percent year-on-year. A total of 98,847 units of Neta V were delivered for the year, up 99 percent year-on-year, according to the company.

Neta S has delivered a cumulative total of 2,205 units since deliveries began in late November, including 2,003 units in December.

Neta will continue to strengthen cooperation with suppliers to maintain supply chain stability and guarantee smooth implementation of production plans, said Fang Yunzhou, founder and chairman of Hozon Auto, and Zhang Yong, co-founder and CEO, in a New Year's message today.

Neta will also actively expand into ASEAN, Middle East, South America and EU markets, establish a more comprehensive overseas marketing and service system, and strive to provide an international first-class full lifecycle car experience, the message mentioned.

Last month, Neta announced the launch of the electric sports car Neta E, which will be mass-produced and delivered in the first half of 2023.