Thursday, December 23, 2010 7:57PM - By Chris Weiss
In addition to delays in getting its Karma plug-in hybrid to market, Fisker has had trouble keeping the price of the Karma steady. Originally it was $80,000. Then it was $87,900. And now it’s $95,900. Fisker announced this week that it would be upping the price by $8K.
That price is for the entry level “Eco Standard.” The Eco Sport will cost $103,900 and the Eco Chic package will cost $108,900. That’s pushing mighty close to Tesla territory.
Fisker still plans to get the Karma into U.S. dealers by March or April of next year. Let’s just hope that don’t raise the price again between now and then. [via GreenCarReports]
Wednesday, December 15, 2010 5:16PM - By Chris Weiss
Fisker has come to a deal with China Grand Automotive Group, which will get its Karma sedan distributed throughout China. CGA has a network of more than 200 dealerships that will handle Karma sales, service and marketing. Fisker plans to use the deal to take advantage of China’s growing luxury car market and tightening emissions restrictions toward meeting its annual sales goal of 15,000 units.
Fisker plans to launch the car in China at the 2011 Shanghai Auto Show next spring. It will follow that up with delivery of the first Karmas by next fall, but we all know how the best laid Karma production plans go, so we’ll see if that happens.
The Karma is expected to launch in the United States early next year with a $87,400 price tag. [via WSJ]
Wednesday, October 13, 2010 4:39PM - By Chris Weiss
After debuting the final production-ready Karma at the Paris Motor Show, Fisker took one more step toward production, opening its website up to Karma configuration. The virtual Karma chameleon can change between eight exterior colors, three trim levels and seven interiors. Unfortunately, five of those exterior colors are grey, darker grey, charcoal, bluish-grey and silver. Oh, also–white. Red and blue are really your only two colorful choices.
Thursday, September 16, 2010 3:56PM - By Chris Weiss
For nearly three long years, Fisker has shuffled and delayed the launch of its Karma plug-in hybrid, a green vehicle that provides a Tesla-like mixture of sporty good looks and feel-good, low-emissions driving. It appears that the company is finally making that last leap toward production; it will debut the production model Karma at the Paris Motor Show later this month/next month.
The Fisker Karma plug-in hybrid is preparing to shake-up the green auto world with its stylish, luxurious looks, roof-mounted solar panels and 400-hp powertrain. Before it does, Fisker is giving us a little peek in a new promotional video.
The Karma is a rear-wheel drive sedan that is driven by two electric motors that combine for 403 hp. A 260-hp 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine works to generate electricity to power the lithium-ion battery and provide up to 300 miles worth of range. The solar panels on top also kick in a little charging. The car can travel up to 50 miles on electricity alone, hit 60 mph in 5.9 seconds and top out at 125 mph.
The short, one-minute clip below features some nice Karma action and a pair of stilletos–what more do you need? [via WCF]
Fisker has been pretty consistent about pushing back the dates for its Karma plug-in, making it appear more like vaporware than an upcoming market product. However, the company is reportedly pushing a solid date (for now). According to a Santa Monica Fisker dealer, production on the Karma will begin in the first quarter of next year, with deliveries scheduled to commence in March or April.
Before that, detailed mock-ups of the car’s interior, materials and options will show up at the LA Auto Show in November, where Fisker will begin taking orders. Shortly thereafter, the dealer will have some models available for test-driving for deposit-holders. Check out a little more in the video below. [Green Car Reports via LeftLaneNews]
Ahhhh….Fisker–the other great American hope for delicious, green sports cars. It may be a little farther behind the eight ball than Tesla, but according to an investor, Fisker will be manufacturing some 70 to 100 models of its Karma plug-in hybrid for testing this year.
Some lucky schmoes will even get to do some testing of their own. Ray Lane, managing partner at U.S. venture capital fund, told Reuters: “These will be tested internally, crash tested and used for other testing purposes. Some of them will be given to customers for testing purposes as well, out in the real road.”
Fisker will start full-scale production next February with a goal of 15,000 units/year. [via egmCarTech]
Tuesday, September 22, 2009 3:00PM - By Chris Weiss
The Fisker Karma is one car that everyone has their eye on. Exoticly-stylish, efficient, performance-oriented and more practical than its competition, the Karma has the potential to shake up the marketplace. Using a different business model than is traditional in the automotive world, Fisker is hoping that its Karma will push the company to see its first profits as early as 2011. Helping this goal right along, Fisker has received a conditional $528.7 million loan toward the creation of two hybrid plug-ins. The first $169.3 million will go toward completion of the Karma, while the near-$360 million that remains will be directed toward Fisker’s Project Nina, which entails development of a more-affordable, next-generation hybrid expected to fall in the $39, 900 range (the Karma will sell in the $80K range). The DOE states that the loan will create or save 5,000 jobs for domestic parts suppliers. The loan is the fourth that’s been made under the ATVM loan program, following previous loans to Ford, Nissan and Tesla. [via AutoBloggreen]
Only known in its complete production-ready form, Fisker’s long awaited plug-in hybrid Karma sedan has made company history at this year’s Mazda Laguna Seca Raceway in Monterey, California. Just 19 months after catching form on paper, the luxury hybrid has stretched legs on track to make its public driving debut in front of thousands spectators. Behind the wheel, the company’s co-founder and COO, Bernhard Koehler drove the Karma up to a top speed of 100mph or 160 km/h.
The eye-catching sedan can drive 50 miles on a full charge using its lithium-ion battery pack, has a total range of 300 miles with the on-board generator and sports two electric motors that send 403 horsepower to the rear wheels. Priced at $87,900 the Karma plug-in hybrid electric will be on sale by the end of the year. [via egmcartech]
