On this day in auto history - December 13th

Sun 13th Dec 2020

It was on this day in 2010 that Russian billionaire financier Mikhail Prokhorov unveiled the new line of hybrid cars - the ill-fated “Yo” - which he claimed would revolutionise the industry.

Unlike other hybrids such as the Toyota Prius, the Yo utilised an internal combustion engine to directly power the motors rather than a battery, leading to greater fuel economy.

Prokhorov - who teamed up with St Petersburg-based Yarovit Motors in the project - boldly announced his aims of selling 10,000 models during the first year of production and 45,000 during the second year.

Alas, none of these targets ever came to fruition when, following multiple production delays, the whole project was eventually shelved in 2014.