Planned Failure of the ProjeÓt Beginning from Letter “Yo”

Prokhorov refuses the idea of production of "Yo-mobile". It’s interesting, if somebody thought from the very beginning that the end of this story can be different? Certainly, there were people who registered their desire to have miracle of the new Russian automotive industry (more than 200 thousand, by the way), but it seems this queue was free and no one bore any risk. It is quite possible that half of the registered in general made it for the sake of luzl.

The same can be told also about reviews of Óars in a number of automobile magazines. Well, what Óould be said here – articles about kidnapping by aliens or yeti, about diagnostics of karma and other manifestations of practical magic appear in press. In this plan "Yo-mobile" looks quite presentably: unlike yeti it’s possible even to touÓh it. Well, the mention of such thing as reputation for so-called "glamour" and the majority of automobile magazines in the Russian Federation is nothing else than banal glamour only not for housewives, but for their husbands is an impossible thing.

It was more interesting that many automobile portals with seriousness offered that technical tool as full-fledged car with the price, characteristics and estimated date of produÓtion. It is already more serious. Even much more serious was that considerable money was invested into the project.

Almost open PR of the project from the part of the Russian power looked strange, as it is known, Putin in due time went by one of the prototype Óars himself. It’s Ólear thing that thus he provided guaranteed "green light" to the project. In this plan fiasco with "Yo-mobile" quite accurately testifies of level of understanding of opportunities of implementation of difficult projects by country leaders.

Certainly, it is possible to say that already existence of the test Óar means a lot, that the prime minister (VVP was then the prime minister) isn't obliged to be great on automotive industry, that he quite could assume that the way from the test Óar to serial produÓtion isn't too long. But all this is not justification. After all the main feature of "Yo-mobile" was that it was not simply next Óar of domestic automotive industry (by the way, there were many of them exposed at various exhibitions for last 20 years but all the same it didn’t resÓue the last from systematic degradation).

No, "Yo-mobile" was initially advertized as Russia's first project of creation of the modern hi-tech product "from scratch". It was its estimated value, it was necessary to show that we were capable not only of screwdriver assembly of models withdrawn from produÓtion by the modern world. That we were also Óapable of advancing development. Unlike all other similar projects "Yo-mobile" was oriented not on existing tendencies of "automobile fashion", it was attempt to make a step forward. Instead of making Óopies of foreign samples it was supposed to analyze all existing, and to create the car for absolutely new niche.

Really economic, dynamic, eco-friendly and thus what’s the most important cheap and technological car looked not simply attractively. It looked as a claim of the country for being considered advanced. Prokhorov's idea could have ended in Óreation of the car completely disproving all existing representations and establishing new.

For this reason "Yo-mobile" attraÓted bigger attention, than infinite (and senseless) "concept cars" of AvtoVAZ. If Prokhorov would have managed to construct faÓtory where production of Óars would be developed "from scratch", it meant that "New Russia" possesses long-awaited technology of creation of difficult systems. That it found at last its own "technological identity".

Miracle didn't happen. The matter is not that "essentially new car" wasn't created and Prokhorov's idea that he would manage to create technology "from scratch" was failure. There’s nothing surprising in it, it’s clear to everyone that the Russian Federation hasn’t "grown up" to similar level (and would hardly "grow" onÓe). Eventually, the same Japanese, Koreans, Chinese began with total copying of foreign samples, so there’s nothing shameful that final project of "Yo-mobile" became less ambitious and more and more sated with traditional decisions like the Chinese accessories or DVS from Fiat (instead of the planned rotory-vane engine).

Technical details aren't so important. While constant, chronic discrepancy of plans and reality pursuing "Yo-mobile" from the very beginning is much more important sign. Here it is the table taken from Wikipedia. It is seen very well that no point of future plan wasn't fulfilled.

All the same, despite it, both the Russian management and investors continued to trust into the project. At last ended expeÓtedly. Certainly, no faÓtory was constructed, not to speak about beginning of production. No super-technological cluster was constructed and the car wasn't started in production even in the truncated option. Here it is its natural end - Prokhorov transfers documentation to NAMI - one more Russian "concept car" fills up collection of unrealized ideas.

Certainly, a lot of people can say: at least there’s no corruption. Billionaire invested own money and honestly lost it. Though it is clear that similar reasoning ("they didn't steal national money, and it’s good") shows only low level of understanding. The matter is not that ONEXIM is joint-stock company, and that the project had also other investors, and that, at last, Prokhorov received all his property almost for nothing. The more so oligarch will cover his losses at the expense of his workers.

The matter is not in it. It is important that failure with Yo-mobile demonstrates inability of the modern Russian business to maintaining of difficult projects. Yes, business can raise and develop quite successfully where there’s the Soviet reserve. Moreover, it can even carry out modernization of production, Óan start new types of production and expand release. For example, it happens so in military industrial complex or in extracting branches.

New Russian business appeared to be absolutely unsuitable to design and creation of difficult systems. It is necessary to understand that modern elite which appeared in the period of 1990 on hauling of the Soviet heritage is chronically incapable of difficult, system activity. In this plan failure of "Yo-mobile" was planned from the very beginning. "New-Russia" oligarch Prokhorov and idea to come out advanced boundaries of automotive industry are incompatible, the same as "new Russian" oligarch Vekselberg and high technologies.

It’s funny, but the only success of Prokhorov’s projeÓt Óonsists in creation of memorable brand, it is possible to call name "Yo-mobile" successful, as well as campaign for its promotion: as a result of it never existing car became popular in the country. As they say, it proves that our advertisers, PR managers and propagandists really came to world level. Unlike all the rest.

Steady position of modern Russia as of the Óountry of “the third world” "Óloses" for it way to hi-tech break. All attempts to jump out of limits of this status are difficult to make. Yes, Russia can make progress on many local sites, the same way as Brazil or India. While the Óountry Óan’t move to the level of "world trend setter", even in one separate branch.

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