Yang Rong was once celebrated as a pioneering automobile entrepreneur who founded the first Chinese company to be listed on Wall Street.
Then, seven years ago, he fled to the United States fearing arrest for alleged economic crimes.
Now, Mr. Yang is plotting a comeback as a maker of hybrid cars in the United States — a venture requiring billions of dollars that could face daunting odds amid a weak economy and against competitors like Toyota and Honda that have already invested millions in green technology, The Associated Press reported.
His Hybrid Kinetic Motors start-up, based in Los Angeles, plans to offer a full range of hybrid vehicles that run on natural gas, gasoline and electricity, with production to start by 2013.
