The manufacturer of the soon-to-be-introduced Ë-Mobile (pronounce Yo-Mobil), the much-hyped Russian hybrid car, announced it will use the Android OS to expand the car’s functions. Ë-Mobile owners will thus benefit from a range of practical and entertainment services and will keep in touch with the latest IT technologies, according to the Ë-Mobile official blog .
The innovative car is being actively promoted by Russian billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov – the world’s 32nd richest man according to Forbes Magazine with a wealth estimated at approximately $20 billion – in association with St. Petersburg truck producer Yarovit.
The Ë-Mobile will combine a gasoline engine and an electric motor. Nearly all the components will be from Russia or the former Soviet Union, according to Prokhorov. The billionaire intends to “break the stereotype that says Russia can’t produce good cars.”
A national launch of the Ë-Mobile is planned in late 2012 or early 2013, at a price around $10,000. Production and commercialization is also being considered in Western Europe.
Sources: Ë-Mobile official blog, The Wall Street Journal
