Back in January, Russia’s domestically-built ë-mobile (that’s pronounced yo-mobile, yo) – the natural gas hybrid minicar dreamed up by billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov – was wheeled out for its public unveiling in Moscow. Last Friday, Russian prime minister Vladimir Putin buckled in behind the wheel of the yo-mobile and set out on a three-mile journey to visit President Dmitry Medvedev.
At a meeting outside of Moscow, Putin reportedly told Prohkorov that:
I would like to drive your yo-mobile to Dmitry Anatolievich [Medvedev], and show it to him … I hope your yo-mobile will not fall apart on the way.
Unfortunately, Reuters’ report fails to mention whether or not the yo-mobile survived the short trek from Putin’s Novo-Ogaryovo country residence, nestled in a pine forest outside Moscow, to Medvedev’s home in nearby Gorki.
Each of the three yo-mobile variants (yo-microvan, yo-cross coupe and yo-mini truck) feature similar specs, including: a curb weight of 1,543 pounds, a maximum speed of 75 miles per hour, a cruising range 249 miles and an expected fuel economy rating of 67 miles per gallon. Base price for the yo-mobiles is targeted at $10,000 and production is set to get underway in late 2011 or early 2012.
[Source: Reuters]
