Report

Prokhorov's Yo-Auto pitches CNG-hybrid crossover 'Yo-Mobile' [w/video]

Yo-Auto, the hybrid-vehicle maker launched in part by Russian billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov, is pitching a crossover hybrid that can run on both gasoline and compressed natural gas (CNG) and can get about 65 miles per gallon. The company, which is owned by Prokhorov's Onexim Group and Russia-based truckmaker Yarovit, is also investing in a second assembly line at its St. Petersburg plant to double production capacity, HybridCars.com reported, citing a press conference held by Prokhorov in Russia.

The crossover, pitched in a video from Yo-Auto and available after the jump, will be able to run on both gasoline and CNG, and will be able to go more than 400 miles on a full tank. Always running in all-wheel-drive mode, the CUV will be able to go from 0 to 100 kilometers/hour (62 mph) in about 10 seconds, and will be able to serve double duty as an electric power source for other functions, according to the video.

The video didn't disclose a price or release date for the vehicle, whose body will be made out of composite material for weight-saving purposes.

Prokhorov, owner of the NBA's New Jersey Nets, has estimated that Yo-Auto's first car, a hybrid compact, will start sales by the end of 2012. Onexim and Yarovit had already been reported to be investing $200 million in the St. Petersburg factory and will be pricing the first hybrids at between $10,000 and $15,000. The second assembly line will reportedly double annual capacity to 90,000 vehicles.

Share This Photo X