Yarovit, the Russian Hybrid People's Car [Renderings]

Sometime in the heat of August 2010, we brought you a piece of news about a dream the Russian prime minister, Vladimir Putin, had: offer the Russian people an affordable, green car which will become for Russia what Volkswagen was once for Germany.

That dream is coming closer and closer to becoming reality, after Mikhail Prokhorov, one of the key players of the precious metals industry in Russia and considered one of the country's wealthiest men, was brought on board to support the project and after Yarovit Motors, a manufacturer which specializes in trucks, released together with its partner Onexim the first images showing the vehicle.

Meant as an electric hybrid, the car will weigh 1,500 lbs (680 kg) and will be capable of reaching a fuel consumption of only 65 mpg (3.6l/100 km). The hybrid engine (still in the works, possibly an internal combustion engine paired with a 20 hp electric motor) will be capable of propelling the vehicle to 60 mph in between 8 and 14 seconds and give it a top speed of 74 mph (120 km/h).

Onexim, Prokhorov's company, will be manufacturing several versions of the yet unnamed vehicle, including a coupe-crossover and a compact. Production will be handled by Yarovit, with the creators of the vehicle hoping for an output of 10,000 units a year.

Price wise, the Yarovit is intended to be affordable, with rumors placing the model back in August in the EUR5,000-EUR6,000 range. More recently though, the possible price tag began indicating a few thousands more.

The car is expected to be launched on the market in 2012, with the first concept or production version likely to be presented in December this year. By then, Prokhorov launched an online competition to chose a name for the vehicle.