Mikhail Prokhorov, a Russian billionaire most famous in the United States for owning the New Jersey Nets, has decided to take on another money-losing venture: hybrid cars. He's dubbed them the ë-mobile, which in Russian sounds like "Fuc-mobile"
Prokhorov said today he was forming a company to build up to 10,000 Russian-designed and built hybrids by 2012 at a cost of almost $200 million, targeting fuel economy better than a Toyota Prius to customers in Russia and Europe. Prokhorov, whose other holdings include 80% of the Nets and raw materials companies in Russia, says he wants to "overcome existing stereotypes ... that Russia cannot make normal cars."
Those stereotypes struck back during the news conference when executives couldn't get the cars to start.
The name begins with Cyrillic character that supplies the "yo" sound of the Russian word pronounced "yob" that's often followed by the Russian words for "yourself," "your mother" or other yob-able things. A spokesman told the Wall Street Journal that "We have no problems with that —everyone interprets it as he pleases." Russia, yob yeah! (Photo: AP)