(Yicai) May 15 -- Hozon Auto, the Chinese carmaker owner of electric vehicle brand Neta, said the fire incident with one of its models in China's Tianjin was not caused by a malfunctioning battery pack.

Data on Hozon Auto's vehicle monitoring platform regarding the car's battery voltage, temperature, and insulation signals were normal until getting interrupted, the Tongxiang-based firm said late on May 13. Competent authorities will investigate further to identify the reason for the fire, it added.

The cab of a Neta S suddenly caught fire, quickly spread, and left only the car's frame behind, according to surveillance footage from May 11. No injuries were reported following the incident, but a nearby white vehicle was severely damaged, a video circulating online showed.

Hozon Auto's technicians arrived at the scene and did preliminary checks on the car on the day of the incident. They found that its battery pack appeared complete and was in a normal condition.

Hozon Auto sold 24,197 Neta S units last year. The model is priced from CNY154,800 to CNY224,800 (USD 21,425 to USD 31,115).

Editor: Martin Kadiev