Fisker Karma News

Fisker CEO Explains Away Problems as Minor

Eric Loveday — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 12:46:38 +0000

Consumer Reports' six-figure Fisker Karma broke down with less than 200 miles on its odometer, but there's more to the story than that.

"Our Fisker Karma cost us $107,850. It is super sleek, high-tech—and now it’s broken," Consumer Reports posted on its blog.

"We have owned our car for just a few days; it has less than 200 miles on its odometer. While doing speedometer calibration runs on our test track, the dashboard flashed a message and sounded a 'bing' showing a major fault. At that point, the transmission went into Neutral and wouldn’t engage any gear through its electronic shifter except Park and Neutral."

A technician at Consumer Reports fiddled with the Fisker Karma before determining that the vehicle wouldn't function as intended. A call went into the nearest Fisker dealership and a flatbed tow truck arrived to haul away the disabled Karma.

Fisker Halts Project Nina Development, Lays Off US Workers

Eric Loveday — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 13:50:31 +0000

Fisker Automotive has reportedly halted development of Project Nina as it renegotiates terms of its DoE loans.

Fisker Automotive has halted development of future electric cars, and laid off at least 66 employees here in the US. Twenty-six of Fisker's Delaware employees and 40 contractors in California were laid off in an attempt to conserve cash as the automaker seeks to renegotiate the terms of its Department of Energy (DOE) loans.

Company executives insist that design, engineering, development and testing of its second vehicle—a mid-size plug-in hybrid referred to as Project Nina—is nearly complete and that production will begin in mid-2013.

Fisker Karma Shipments Underway, While First 50 Receive Battery Correction

Eric Loveday — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 18:38:05 +0000

Fisker Automotive claims that 225 Karmas have shipped to its US dealerships and that an additional 1,200 units are "in the pipeline."

After multiple production delays and a couple of price hikes, Fisker Automotive, the California-based manufacturer of the Karma, announced last week that shipments of its luxury plug-in hybrid sedan are finally reaching dealerships across the US.

According to Henrik Fisker, the company's CEO, at least 225 Karmas have been shipped to dealerships and an additional 1,200 units are "in the pipeline."

Though behind schedule, Fisker remains confident that its plug-in Karma will carve out its own niche with buyers seeking a luxury vehicle that consumes almost no gasoline during daily commutes.

Fisker Karma Price to Increase by Up to $10,000

Eric Loveday — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 15:00:11 +0000

Pricing for the 2012 Fisker Karma will soon be as high as $116,000.

Top Gear Crowns 2012 Fisker Karma 'Car of the Year'

Eric Loveday — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 15:05:28 +0000

Top Gear has crowned the 2012 Fisker Karma plug-in sedan as its "Luxury Car of the Year" and overall "Car of the Year." More specifically, Top Gear presenter, James May, selected the 2012 Fisker Karma as his overall vehicle of the year and BBC Top Gear magazine named the Karma as its "Luxury Car of the Year."

Charlie Turner, BBC Top Gear magazine editor, explained why the Fisker Karma grabbed the number one spot:

"Cleverness abounds in the Fisker and adds to the air of intelligent luxury. It works well, it looks good and it must be a genuinely exciting thing to own. It’s the top-of-the-line spec that features no leather, just textiles and reclaimed wood. And it’s more convincing than it sounds, managing to look, feel and smell premium without any cow peel in it at all."

2012 Fisker Karma crownd "Luxury Car of the Year" by Top Gear.

Fisker Karma Production Delayed by Faulty Components

Eric Loveday — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 13:44:09 +0000

Fisker Karma production delayed by fault components and flood-damaged leather.

Nissan LEAF, Fisker Karma, Mitsubishi i Contenders for 2012 Motor Trend Car of the Year

Eric Loveday — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 16:43:51 +0000

Nissan LEAF contends for Motor Trend's 2012 Car of the Year title.

2012 Fisker Karma Returns 51.6 Miles in Electric-Only Mode

Eric Loveday — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 14:08:22 +0000

2012 Fisker Karma returns impressive 51.6 miles in electric-only mode.

Why Fisker Karma Gets 20 MPG on Gas: 5,300 Reasons

Jim Motavalli — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 16:10:50 +0000

The Fisker Surf: a station wagon variant of the Karma targeted for production in the summer of 2012. (Jim Motavalli photo)

The ultra-cool, ultra-green Fisker Karma plug-in hybrid is now on sale, and when operating on gas gets…20 miles per gallon? Yes, that’s what the EPA will put on the Karma's window sticker—although you wouldn't know from reading Fisker's press release about the EPA rating, which only talks about the sedan's all-electric mileage equivalent. The major reason for the 20 mpg has to do with weight—the Karma tips the scales at approximately 5,300 pounds.

Multi-speed Transmissions Mean Better Efficiency for Electric Cars

Laurent J. Masson — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 22:27:23 +0000

Could you imagine comparing a 1955 Chevrolet with a brand new Tesla Roadster, and finding something technically better in the old Chevy? Here's one thing: The old Chevrolet will likely have a 2-speed automatic Powerglide transmission. Lo and Hi. The Tesla Roadster has only one gear, just like the Nissan LEAF, and most other EVs. That sounds strange when you can buy a gas car with an 8-speed transmission from BMW or Lexus. Is there an unwritten law stating that all gas cars must have a transmission, and that electric cars should never have one?

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