Fisker auto news

Followup: NHTSA launches inquiry into Fisker Karma garage fire

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has launched a formal field inquiry into the garage fire that may or may not have been started by a Fisker Karma sedan, Bloomberg reports. The conflagration, which destroyed the Karma, the garage and a few nearby vehicles, took place on May 3 in Sugarland, Texas.

Claude Harris, NHTSA's director of vehicle safety compliance, said that the investigation is "ongoing," adding that "no determination has been made at this time." Until an official cause is isolated, we're betting there will be a good bit of he-said, she-said finger pointing in all directions...

It's worth noting that NHTSA has also been actively investigating the safety of battery packs used in the Chevrolet Volt after reports of fires in the wild and after NHTSA's own crash testing procedures.

Report: Leaked Fisker Atlantic documents reveal big production delay, specs

The Fisker Atlantic extended-range plug-in vehicle will start production about a year after its previously estimated mid-2013 date, Inside EVs blog reports, citing leaked company documents that were dated "a few weeks ago."

The Atlantic, formerly known as Project Nina, will compete pricewise against the BMW 3 Series and 5 Series sedans, as well as the Mercedes-Benz C-Class and E-Class, Jaguar XF and Audi A4 and A6. That would put the model in the $50,000 to $60,000 range, according to the publication. The model, which will still be produced at Fisker's Delaware plant, will have 300 horsepower, a 0-60 time of 6.5 seconds and emissions of 50 grams per kilometer of CO2, Inside EVs reports, citing the documents.

"As these documents are obviously leaked investor documents and highly confidential, I am not prepared to comment any further," a Fisker representative tells Autoblog sister site, AutoblogGreen.

The status of the Atlantic has been in question since plans for the former General Motors plant in Delaware were put on hold once the U.S. Department of Energy froze most of the $529 million in loans earmarked for the California-based company.

Fisker unveiled the Atlantic at the New York Auto Show last month, saying that the car's price tag would be "a much lower price point" than Fisker's Karma sedan.

Report: Ex-Fisker chair blames Mitt Romney attacks for DOE loan hold-up

Ah, election season...

Former Fisker Automotive Chairman and current investor Ray Lane is blaming Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney for the delays in procuring federal loans that have been earmarked for the maker of the extended-range plug-in Karma and the upcoming Atlantic, according to Delaware Online.

In an e-mail, Lane said Romney is mistakenly grouping the Fisker loan from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) with money given to failed companies like solar-panel producer Solyndra. Lane, managing director at venture-capital company Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, said in the alleged e-mail that he's planning to contact Romney, whose father George Romney was once president of American Motors Corp.

The Fisker issue is particularly acute in Delaware, where the automaker had planned to expand employment and build a production version of the Atlantic sedan (a.k.a. Project Nina) shown above at a former General Motors factory. Those plans have been put on hold as Fisker sorts out its financial situation. Delaware Online reported late last week that Fisker had laid off 12 more workers at the factory, which was characterized as "absolutely empty."

The company was set to receive $529 million in federal loans but has only received a fraction of that and hasn't received funding since last year.

Report: More layoffs at Fisker; Delaware plant is 'absolutely empty'

Last we heard, Fisker Automotive was still "committed" to building the recently revealed Atlantic sedan at the former General Motors plant in Delaware. A few years ago, Fisker announced that site would be the company's new domestic production home (the Fisker Karma extended-range plug-in hybrid is made by Valmet in Finland). Still, Fisker did say that any definitive statement on the Atlantic's production location would not come until the end of the summer.

So we were interested to read new reports from local media that show more signs that the Atlantic might not ever be built in Delaware. On Friday, Delaware Online reports, 12 more workers - including engineers and maintenance technicians - were laid off at the plant, leaving "only a small maintenance team" left there. One of those let go was Jeff Garland, who had been working on community affairs and business development efforts in Delaware. He said the plant is currently "absolutely empty." This is because Fisker has taken out the old GM equipment but has not yet installed the machines it would need to build the Atlantic. As Garland told Delaware Online, "I think what happened was the budget numbers are so tight right now and they're working so hard to preserve as much cash as they can that something had to give. We're not making a car in Wilmington right now, so given that situation it was an obvious place to make a cut."

Fisker spokesman Russell Datz said that the company has flexible plans and will hire people when "we ramp up the project again." Production of the Atlantic is being delayed, at least in part, because of issues with Fisker's Department of Energy loan. You can read more about that here.

In related news, some of the components that Fisker and Ford will use in hybrid and all-electric cars are now being made by Magna E-Car Systems in Michigan. The inverters Magna makes are used in the Karma and this new production does not in any way predict a shift of Atlantic production to Michigan.

Video: Justin Bieber chromes his Fisker Karma

While we normally don't care whether or not Justin Beiber wakes up and takes a breath each morning, it is unfortunate news when the teen pop idol is gifted a six-figure plug-in hybrid produced by one of the world's best designers, and then proceeds to wrap it in chrome, stick on some fuscia LEDs and drive it around on giant black wheels.

Celebrity-stalking site TMZ caught the Beiber taking his one true love, the also-famous-for-reasons-beyond-our-comprehension Selena Gomez, to Chick-fil-A in the reflective Karma. The editors at TMZ seem to agree with us that Bieber's treatment of his Karma is criminal, but were surprised to discover that chroming one's car is well within the rule of law.

That doesn't mean the Bieb's daily driver is entirely copacetic, as the tiny strip of fuscia LEDs installed under the front grille violate California law. It also violates the laws of good taste, but that's just our opinion.

Continue reading Justin Bieber chromes his Fisker Karma

Report: Fisker may change plans on Delaware production, details Karma troubles

Fisker Automotive may drop plans to use a Delaware factory to build its upcoming Atlantic sedan and is looking at "other options," Automotive News reports, citing an interview with company CEO Tom LaSorda. The company, in an online meeting with owners of the Fisker Karma extended-range plug-in sedan, spelled out some of the issues that have been plaguing the car.

Fisker will hold off on deciding on the Atlantic's production site until the end of summer, which will delay the model's debut. LaSorda maintains that Fisker will be able to produce the Atlantic with or without Department of Energy funding, according to Automotive News. Fisker's director of corporate communications, Russell Datz, tells AutoblogGreen that the company remains "committed to Delaware" but admits that if the rest of the company's DOE loan money does not come through, the plan to build the Atlantic in Delaware could change.

Follow the jump to continue reading...

Continue reading Fisker may change plans on Delaware production, details Karma troubles

New York: Fisker Atlantic revealed, promises to be available to mortals someday [w/video]

Overheard at the reveal event for the Fisker Atlantic this evening: This is the car you buy your secretary.

Yes, the altogether good-looking Atlantic sets a new high for plug-in hybrid looks, and even though Fisker is tight-lipped about things like all-electric range, cost or an estimated delivery date, for now the car speaks for itself. All anyone would tell us is that the Atlantic will come in at "a much lower price point than the Karma," as Fisker executive chairman Henrik Fisker put it, suggesting something in the range of the Audi A5 or "the upper end of the BMW 3 Series." So, $45,000? In any case, Fisker seems to have learned its lesson with the Karma situation/delay, and is keeping mum about its future plans.

One thing Fisker was very happy to talk about was that the Atlantic is a car that will be built and will go into production. It is "a promise we are going to deliver," he said.

Whenever the Atlantic arrives, it is most likely going to be incredibly similar to what we see in the pictures here (and in recent spy shots). Fisker said that his company does not do concepts - see how little the Karma changed between auto show reveal and showroom. And that's fine by us. The lines and angles of the little Karma might be too busy for some, but in person they most certainly work. One thing to note is that in person the headlights have a frozen/frosted look that offers an 'eagle eye' with a strength of strong character not seen on a production car before," the Fisker press release says.

Despite the off-hand suggestion from the peanut gallery that this is a car for those with a bit of money to throw around, Fisker repeatedly emphasized the practicality of the Atlantic. For one thing, it will have the second-generation EVer (Electric Vehicle with extended range) powertrain that incorporates a BMW four-cylinder gasoline engine, because, Fisker said, "range equals freedom." He also showed the gathered media how the rear seats fold down and called it "a pure family vehicle." Must be nice to be in that family.

Continue reading Fisker Atlantic revealed, promises to be available to mortals someday [w/video]

New York: Fisker Atlantic revealed, promises to be available to mortals someday

Overheard at the reveal event for the Fisker Atlantic this evening: This is the car you buy your secretary.

Yes, the altogether good-looking Atlantic sets a new high for plug-in hybrid looks, and even though Fisker is tight-lipped about things like all-electric range, cost or an estimated delivery date, for now the car speaks for itself. All anyone would tell us is that the Atlantic will come in at "a much lower price point than the Karma," as Fisker executive chairman Henrik Fisker put it, suggesting something in the range of the Audi A5 or "the upper end of the BMW 3 Series." So, $45,000? In any case, Fisker seems to have learned its lesson with the Karma situation/delay, and is keeping mum about its future plans.

One thing Fisker was very happy to talk about was that the Atlantic is a car that will be built and will go into production. It is "a promise we are going to deliver," he said.

Whenever the Atlantic arrives, it is most likely going to be incredibly similar to what we see in the pictures here (and in recent spy shots). Fisker said that his company does not do concepts - see how little the Karma changed between auto show reveal and showroom. And that's fine by us. The lines and angles of the little Karma might be too busy for some, but in person they most certainly work. One thing to note is that in person the headlights have a frozen/frosted look that offers an 'eagle eye' with a strength of strong character not seen on a production car before," the Fisker press release says.

Despite the off-hand suggestion from the peanut gallery that this is a car for those with a bit of money to throw around, Fisker repeatedly emphasized the practicality of the Atlantic. For one thing, it will have the second-generation EVer (Electric Vehicle with extended range) powertrain that incorporates a BMW four-cylinder gasoline engine, because, Fisker said, "range equals freedom." He also showed the gathered media how the rear seats fold down and called it "a pure family vehicle." Must be nice to be in that family.

Continue reading Fisker Atlantic revealed, promises to be available to mortals someday

Project Nina revealed as Fisker Atlantic, images leak early

Here it is, folks. This is the car that was under cover in the spy shots we showed you a few days ago, and it's going to be called the Fisker Atlantic when it debuts this week at the New York Auto Show. These two images of the car appeared today on a Czech website, and the rear shot clearly shows a license plate bearing the name "Atlantic."

Previously called Project Nina, the Atlantic will slot in Fisker's fledgeling lineup below the Karma, and reportedly cost considerably less. While any talk of pricing is just a guess at this point, rumor has it the Atlantic will be about half the price of the Karma, putting it squarely in the $45,000-$55,000 range. It's a plug-in series hybrid, just like its big brother, but the Atlantic will reportedly use a turbocharged four-cylinder from BMW as its range-extending generator.

We'll have more detailed information about the Atlantic when it officially debuts at the New York Auto Show this week, so come back for our live show coverage on Wednesday and Thursday, April 4-5.

New York: Project Nina revealed as Fisker Atlantic, images leak early

Here it is, folks. This is the car that was under cover in the spy shots we showed you a few days ago, and it's going to be called the Fisker Atlantic when it debuts this week at the New York Auto Show. These two images of the car appeared today on a Czech website, and the rear shot clearly shows a license plate bearing the name "Atlantic."

Previously called Project Nina, the Atlantic will slot in Fisker's fledgeling lineup below the Karma, and reportedly cost considerably less. While any talk of pricing is just a guess at this point, rumor has it the Atlantic will be about half the price of the Karma, putting it squarely in the $45,000-$55,000 range. It's a plug-in series hybrid, just like its big brother, but the Atlantic will reportedly use a turbocharged four-cylinder from BMW as its range-extending generator.

We'll have more detailed information about the Atlantic when it officially debuts at the New York Auto Show this week, so come back for our live show coverage on Wednesday and Thursday, April 4-5.