Yo-Auto: weirdest car doors ever 16 | 09 | 2011

IN OUR ENDEAVOURS to bring you the most comprehensive motoring news, there are times when 'whacky' just seems to jump up and hit us between the eyes; so say 'hello' to the Yo-Auto.

Ok, so it's a new eco-friendly brand launched, in a joint venture, by truck maker Yarovit and Onexim investment group, owned by billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov who also owns the American basketball team, the New Jersey Nets.

So far, then, so good. But now, check out the doors on the Yo-Auto concept in our video. How off-the-wall are they!?

They're unlike any other cars' we've ever seen. Rather than swinging out like the doors on your your, swinging upward gullwing-style, or even doing that weird rotation that you see on Koenigsegg doors, these doors slide through the body of the vehicle and out of the rear end. It's highly impractical, but also very cool.

Watch our video of the Yo-Auto

But what of the rest of the car? Work started last month on a new plant near St Petersburg and Prokhorov has said he wants to make the unique eco-friendly hybrid car which would cost less than $10,000 (£6,200).

According to CEO Andrei Biryukov, the plant will have an initial annual capacity of 45,000 and this will double in its second phase.

The concept uses a range extender petrol engine, but the company says its first models will have conventional petrol engines.

"We'll have to purchase car parts which are not produced in Russia, including a complex element base of the control panel, electronics, and some elements of the suspension system. Our main goal is not to worsen the quality," Biryukov said.

Oh, and before you think Mr Prokhorov would be best to keep his hands in his pockets and refrain from wasting his cash, it's worth noting he's the world's 39th richest man, according to Forbes, with a fortune estimated at $13.4bn.

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Mark Stephens