Yo!: Russia Gets Into The Hybrid Game

Russia has complained long and bitterly that Western firms refuse to share technology with its home-grown auto industry, but now the billionaire owner of the New Jersey Nets has introduced Russia’s first home-grown hybrid cars in hopes of proving that Russia can compete in the global car industry. But, according to the WSJ, the launch of the brand known as “Yo” (“ë” in Russian) was not without its problems

Mr. Prokhorov said he intends to “break the stereotype saying Russia can’t produce good cars,” even though an executive needed three attempts to successfully start the prototype car with a mobile phone using a remote-start feature.

But then what do you expect from a Russian-built prototype of a hybrid car that’s set to cost only $10k?

Apparently it’s not a good idea to expect too much. Though reports on the quality of the Yo-mobile prototypes are still coming in, the WSJ reckons

Mr. Prokhorov is spending €150 million ($198.4 million) to combine a gasoline engine and an electric motor inside a noisy package resembling a large, clunky toy car. Nearly all the components will be from Russia or the former Soviet Union

“Noisy” and “clunky” aren’t exactly what you’re looking for in a new hybrid car concept, but then the low price point means the Yo-mobile lineup faces certain inherent compromises.

the Yo-mobile will only reach speeds of 130 kilometers an hour (81 miles an hour), limiting its appeal for some drivers. Fuel efficiency is aimed at 3.5 liters per 100 kilometers, or 67 miles per gallon.

Production is planned for 2012, and Prokhorov hopes to build 10k of the Yo-branded cars, vans and trucks each year, with a three-year break-even target. Yo is a joint venture between Prokhorov’s Onexim holding company and an unidentified St Petersburg-based truck manufacturer.