Fisker is coming back, he says, with 400-mile electric car using graphene cells

Henrik Fisker

Henrik Fisker has designed some remarkable cars, among them Aston Martins, the BMW Z8, and of course the striking Fisker Karma range-extended electric luxury sedan. That vehicle, launched in 2012 by his namesake company, saw production of less than 3,000 units before the company collapsed in bankruptcy.

The same vehicle will relaunch next year as the 2017 Karma Revero, to be built in Southern California by the Chinese firm Wanxiang. The Danish designer left the company he cofounded several months before it was shuttered and subsequently sold in bankruptcy court. He joined former GM product czar Bob Lutz in VLF, a company that re-engineers old Karmas with powerful Corvette engines transmissions, removing the plug-in powertrain entirely to create a vehicle called the VLF Destino. Yesterday, Fisker revealed that he has formed a new company—called Fisker Inc.—that will unveil a luxury electric car with a 400-mile range in the second half of next year.

Image tweeted by Henrik Fisker to announce formation of new Fisker Inc. electric-car firm, Sep 2016

Big plans, eh?

The report comes via Bloomberg, which interviewed Fisker about his new ventures—including the creation of Fisker Nanotech, a separate company focused on electric-car batteries. "We have the [battery] technology that nobody else has," Fisker said in the interview. "And there is nobody even close to what we are doing out there.”

Jack Kavanaugh, who heads Fisker Nanotech, says that the new battery technology comes from research conducted at the University of California at Los Angeles.

[UPDATE: Fisker said the new battery technology uses graphene to reduce charging time and extend both its range and operating life, according to a later update from Reuters.]

Now based in L.A., Fisker declined to give details about the secret battery or the new car that will use it, except that it would be luxurious, sporty, spacious, and good-looking.

It will, he told Bloomberg, "look completely different" than anything else on the market. It will include some of his signature design elements, and target the Tesla Model S.

Henrik Fisker

This time, though, part of the business plan is to sell battery technology to other carmakers as well, Fisker said.

The first vehicle will pave the way for the company to produce a second, higher-volume electric car with a price of $40,000 or less, Fisker suggested.

Targeting the planned Tesla Model 3, the second vehicle will still offer more range than competing vehicles in that segment.

In other words, that's pretty much the game plan from the original Fisker Automotive.

That company had unveiled a design concept for its second vehicle, the less-pricey Fisker Atlantic sedan (developed under the code name "Nina") before it went under.

Fisker gave few details beyond the establishment of the new companies and the various adjectives, though he noted the projects have been underway in stealth mode for two years.

2017 Karma Revero revealed with solar roof that can power car

The Karma Revero has been part-revealed on video alongside claims that its solar roof helps to power the car.

The hybrid-electric model is essentially a successor to the Karma of now defunct car maker Fisker, and it builds on that car’s overall design with a largely unchanged exterior. But the fitment of solar panels on the Revero’s roof is an all-new feature, and one that Karma says can actually supply energy to the four-door model’s electrified drivetrain.

Most other solar panel-equipped models, such as the Nissan Leaf(which offers it as an option), use the sun’s energy to power in-car accessories.

American brand Karma says this is the first time a production car has featured such an energy system in the US market.

No further details have been released about the Revero’s drivetrain, but previous reports claim it will use an extensively re-engineered version of the old Karma's drivetrain and battery system, with new parts supplied by BMW.

The original Fisker Karma was built around an aluminium spaceframe and featured a turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine and two electric motors. The plug-in hybrid system could offer more than 30 miles of pure-electric range.

Karma says the Revero will use a new infotainment system that "represents a departure from the norm", suggesting it'll be a defining feature of the car.

As a hybrid model the Karma Revero will straddle the lines between all-electric rival the Tesla Model S, and more conventional alternatives, such as the Porsche Panamera. Porsche's future Mission E production model could also be an eventual rival.

Karma will fully reveal its new Revero next month and will start taking orders later this year. Cars will be built at the firm’s California factory.

The newly formed Karma Automotive has been built upon the remains of Fisker Automotive, which closed for business in 2013 because of a lack of funding. With new Chinese owners Wanxiang Group providing a stronger financial backing to the renamed Karma, insiders are anticipating a more productive future for the American company.

Fisker Factory In California Is A Go!

A few months ago, I wrote about Fisker Automotive and Technology Group’s search for factory space in California to resuming production of the Elux Karma (aka Fisker Karma). This was somewhat surprising, since it’s not too common for a Chinese company* to manufacture products in California, but stranger things have happened.

According to the Los Angeles Times, Fisker has signed a contract to lease a building with 556,000 square feet of space in Riverside County. The lease is set for 11 years, and the value of the deal has been estimated at $30 million. Clearly, if these numbers are true, Fisker is serious about the Karma and Karma production in Cali.

I’ll update you if more critical information comes in, but for more detail on Fisker Automotive and Technology Group and the Fisker Karma’s history up until now, check out: Fisker Electric Car — Production Resuming? What’s New?

*Wanxiang Automotive bought out Fisker Automotive after it went bankrupt.

Fisker To Open California Plant, No Date Yet For Electric Car Production To Resume

2012 Fisker Karma + Aero L-39 Albatros jet trainer, Hollister Municipal Airport, CA [by Refael Azi]

Fisker chose California in part because of the state's enthusiasm for electric cars, chief marketing officer James Taylor said in a statement.

California offers aggressive incentives for purchase of electric cars, and its zero-emission vehicle mandate requires manufacturers to sell cars that produce no tailpipe carbon emissions.

It also hosts the headquarters and main factory for another relatively new maker of plug-in cars: Tesla Motors.

Taylor said that proximity to Fisker's engineering and design departments will have benefits as well.

With the announcement of California production, the fate of Fisker's Delaware plant remains up in the air.

Wanxiang's previous promise to use the factory gave it the political leverage to force the remains of bankrupt Fisker into public auction, even after another bid had already been accepted.

2009 Fisker Karma prototype

Under pressure from Delaware's Congressional delegation, U.S. Bankruptcy Court sent Fisker to public auction in 2014.

Both Wanxiang and the original bidder--Hong Kong-based Hybrid Technology Holdings--discussed Delaware production as a way to curry favor with the bankruptcy judge.

[UPDATE: Fisker communications manager Judy Hoste responded to a Green Car Reports inquiry about the factory as follows: "Regarding the plant in Delaware, we will continue to work with the City and State of Delaware for many possible further uses of the facility."]

Last month, Wanxiang launched a new website and sent a letter to Fisker owners offering free repairs and parts.

MORE: Fisker Karma Will Be Relaunched With 2012 Design, Updates (Sep 2014)

It had previously said there were about 250 "bugs" to be fixed before Karma production could restart.

And there's still no indication of when that will take place.

The demands of setting up a brand-new assembly plant, however, mean the Karma relaunch could still be a year or more away.

The Fisker Karma Returns As The Elux Karma This Month

In march of 2013, Fisker Automotive filed documents to declare bankruptcy after the company burned through hundreds of millions of dollars in public and private equity to build its debut car, the Karma. It would take another year for Wanxiang Group to pick up where Henrik Fisker left off, and later this month we’ll get our first look at the “new” Elux Karma. Will the Karma be any better a second time around?

Right now all we’ve got to go on is a single teaser image and rumors that Wanxiang hasn’t done much to make the Fisker Karma 2.0 look much different from Henrik’s original vision. That much actually be to the company’s benefit, as one of the few high marks for the Karma was its beautiful styling. By keeping the styling the same, Wanxiang also avoids expensive crash testing, though another rumor predicts that the company will place a higher price tag on the remade Karma, which was a money-losing proposition from the start.

Of greater concern than aesthetics were hundreds of “bugs” in the original design that led to early embarrassments, breakdowns, and even fires. Despite this though, some old names are coming back for the Karma’s rebirth, for better or worse. Wanxiang’s owner has not been shy about his ambitions to build a world-spanning electric automaker, and using the Karma as a launching point for his Elux brand that could eventually compete with Elon Musk’s Tesla.

Can a rival to Tesla be born from the ashes of Fisker? Or is this one brand that was better off dead?

Toyota Mirai Production To Triple With $165M Investment

Sales expectations for the Toyota Mirai may be modes, but the automaker says it’s investing an additional $165 million to triple production of their hydrogen fuel cell sedan. At last count Toyota had just 200 orders for the Mirai, but it now expects to exceed its initial allotment of 700 vehicles by the December 15th release date, reports Green Car Congress.

Toyota had planned to produce just 700 Mirai fuel cell sedans through 2015, with 400 units earmarked for Japan, 50 units in Europe, and the remainder sent to Southern California, the only place in the U.S. with the necessary infrastructure. But apparently private and public sector interest has been strong enough that Toyota wants to triple production of the fuel stacks at the former Lexus LFA factory by the end of 2015. That would put about 2,100 Mirai on the road in 2016, and Toyota has plans to sell at least 3,000 of its fuel cell vehicles in the U.S. by the end of 2017.

Are people more interested in hydrogen fuel cell vehicles than I thought, or is this just the initial surge of early adopters? My gut says its the latter, but I’ve got no proof to back it up. I do however have a previous example to go by, and that would be the Fisker Karma. There were plenty of orders at the onset, but production and sales slowed soon after launch once the myriad of issues began to arise. I’m not saying the Toyota Mirai is a half-baked product, but I am saying it’s credentials as a replacement for fossil fuels is suspect, and the advantage Toyota claims the it has over comparable electric vehicles is negligible at best.

Orders are orders though, and I’m all about having options other than gasoline. If Toyota and other automakers can make hydrogen affordable, plentiful, and sustainably, I wouldn’t mind sharing the road with fuel cell vehicles in the not too distant future.

Source: Green Car Congress

Henrik Fisker Newest Project Is Probably A 2015 Mustang

While Elon Musk has been embraced by Silicon Valley as the hero of the auto industry, another green car innovator has been out of sight since the company that bears his name was bought by Chinese auto interests. That innovator is Henrik Fisker, who is hoping to make a triumphant return to the auto industry with the “ultimate” American muscle car, which is probably a 2015 Mustang.

Fisker released the first teaser of his new vehicle, one of two he is building with the help of SoCal’s Galpin Auto Sports. GAS as its known is part of Galpin Ford, which almost certainly means the car Fisker is working on wears a Blue Oval badge. And what super important sports car has Ford launched this year? Why none other than the 2015 Mustang, and while nobody has said as much, the nickname “Rocket” has been leaked out, and there’s talk that Fisker redesigned (and even re-bodied) the Mustang’s look from front to back. GAS also revealed a 725 horsepower Mustang earlier this month at the SEMA show, so I doubt the tuning house is ready to take a step backwards.

As for Henrik, designer of gorgeous vehicles like the Aston Martin DB9, the BMW Z4, and of course the Fisker Karma, he’s mostly laid low since being ousted from the automaker he founded. Unless GAS shoved an electric or hybrid drivetrain under the hood of his latest design, I’d say that the world class designer has given up on the green car game. That’s not to say he hasn’t been busy, revealing new Viking motorcycle design earlier this year, but his moment in the sun seems to have come and gone.

However, Henrik’s legacy may live on if Wanxiang’s ambitions to build a new electric car company out of the ashes of Fisker comes to fruition. That is of course if the Fisker name sticks around with the relaunch of the Karma. It must be an odd feeling knowing there’s a car company named after you, using your design, and you don’t have a damn thing to do with it anymore.

Can you imagine a world where Fisker, not Musk, was heralded as the savior of the electric car industry? Where a failed Tesla CEO was giving advice to a successful hybrid automaker?

Fisker May Change Name Before 2015 Relaunch

Under new management, Fisker is readying a relaunch for the middle of 2015, though it might not be called Fisker anymore, according to its interim president. A name change might help the automaker get a fresh start, but can it really shake all the associated baggage with a new badge?

Purchased by China’s Wanxiang in a last minute bid for $149 million, Fisker owes its new masters a hefty sum already. According to Fisker’s temporary chief Roger Brown, the automaker will restart Karma production by the middle of next year, followed by a shooting brake model called the Karma Surf in 2016. If that all goes well enough, the half-finished Fisker Atlantic could hit dealers by 2017, the same year the Tesla Model E is slated to launch.

But one thing Brown isn’t sure on is whether or not to keep the Fisker name. That still belongs to Henrik Fisker, who hasexpressed interest in selling it. So far, Wanxiang has moved to scoop up all Fisker-related assets, including the Delaware factory and battery maker A123 Systems. As far as the next Karma goes though, the hybrid drivetrain will probably be ditched in favor of a supercharged Chevy V8.

Irony? You betcha.

According to Brown, Wanxiang is super serious about building “a great car company” here in America, and to be sure, all the pieces are in place. Wanxiang paid cash for Fisker, and employees are apparently beating down the doors in a bid to come back to the automaker. Fisker is definitely coming back it seems, it just might not be called Fisker anymore. Meanwhile, the man who founded the billion-dollar boondoggle is back to designing motorcycles.

That’s probably for the best, but what do you lot think?

Source: Detroit News

2015 Fisker Atlantic, Karma Headed for Production

Troubled automaker Fisker won a stay of execution when Wanxiang bought its assets out of court. In the days after the purchase, speculation about the future of Fisker ranged from starting where they’d left off to ditching the Karma’s troublesome hybrid drivetrain in favor of a more primitive and powerful Corvette V8, a la VL Destino. Earlier this week, we got our first hint of Wanxiang’s plans for Fisker’s future from the company itself, in the form of a newly launched website and a “promise” to build the Fisker Atlantic.

First shown back in 2012, the Fisker Atlantic was the baby brother to the Karma. A luxurious, good-looking plug-in hybrid that was intended to do battle with mainstream Mercedes and BMW models while the sexier, slinkier Fisker Karma acted as the brand’s halo car. The Karma did well enough before Fisker’s troubles started, and will probably do well again. No reason to believe, then, that a reborn Fisker with real funding won’t do better.

Here’s some of Wanxiang’s corporate talk about itself and the “New Fisker” company …

NEW FUTURE

The New Fisker under Wanxiang America Corp ownership will reintroduce “fun” to the driving experience. The New Fisker will keep its nimble and green roots to create a new type of Automotive OE company. One that will display it ingenuity and creativity while keeping the Roots that Henrik Fisker and Bernhard Koehler planted.

NEW LEADERSHIP

Wanxiang America Corp, has a track record that spans many years of success. As one of the largest automotive parts maker in the world “We Know Automotive” and yes we have been accused of being “Car Guys”. Under the leadership of Wanxiang America Corp The New Fisker will deliver on promises and execute on plans.

NEW DIRECTION

“Green”, that is what Bernhard Koehler and Henrik Fisker set out to accomplish, we will take it to the next level. Wanxiang has a history of deep investments in Green Technology. With Wanxiang America Corp’s major focus on making the world a better place with Green Technology, you will see The New Fisker create greatness.

… and here are some shots of the upcoming 2015 Fisker Atlantic, which was pretty far along the road to series production already before Fisker’s money woes forced them to delay the car’s launch until, we guessed, 2014 or 2015. Looks like we were right about that one!

Source | Photos: Fisker, via Green Car Reports.

Fisker Auction Delayed As Bidding Price Doubles

With the surprise last-minute bid for the remains of Fisker Automotive, a Federal judge decided to delay the Fisker auction until late February. In response to a better bid from the Wanxiang Group, Hybrid Holdings LLC. has more than doubled its bid. Is this the beginning of a bidding war? Sure seems like it.

Hybrid Tech Holdings, owned by Hong Kong billionaire investor Richard Li, originally put in a paltry bid of just $25 million for the rights to Fisker, a company indebited to  U.S. taxpayers to the tune of $192 million. Wanxiang, which owns Fisker’s battery maker A123 Systems, came in with a $25.8 million bid as well as assumed debt, before upping their bid to $35.7 million.

In response, Hybrid Holdings upped the ante with a $55 million bid, and also has the backing of whatever is left of Fisker’s management, who hold the opinion that Wanxiang deliberately held back battery deliveries to kill Fisker faster. Seems a little silly given the fact that Fisker was losing some $30,000 on every vehicle it sold and had a preferential contract with A123 Systems, which also went bankrupt.

Both Wanxiang and Hybrid Holdings claim they want to relaunch the Fisker Karma and continue development of the smaller Fisker Atlantic. Since Wanxiang already owns Fisker’s battery maker it seems like the better hope for resuming Karma production, at least to me. America has been willing to give Chrysler and GM a second chance, but can a boutique car maker like Fisker really bounce back after a very public and politically-toxic meltdown?

Source: Autoblog Green | Bloomberg

VL Automotive Convertible Arrives in Detroit, Brings $200K Watch

Fully realized and in person sheet metal, the VL-modified Fisker Sunset concept makes a fine-looking addition to the company’s Destino lineup. Whether that’s due to some special “magic touch” from VL Automotive or due to Henrik Fisker’s deft hand being behind the original might be debatable, but one thing is not debatable: something about the VL Automotive display at NAIAS 2014 brought out the weirdness.

The first weird thing about the VL Destino convertible concept is that it’s based on the one-off Fisker Sunset, which was first shown at Detroit way back in 2009. The Sunset was a big deal when it hit the show circuit that year, but no one seemed to remember it. As such, a fair number of the assembled press people treated the car as an all-new concept.

The second weird thing about the VL Automotive display area was that it was dominated by a watch display.

I get the watch thing. Timepieces have been associated with speed long before Breitling put a Bentley in an ad or Rolex sponsored the Daytona 24 hour race or Tag sponsored Formula 1. Performance cars are measured in time, after all. 0-60 times. 1/4 mile times. Lap times. All of that ties in with watches … but, when I asked how much the watches were, the answer I got was a flippant “For $200,000, you get a watch and a car.”

It’s a nice enough watch …

… but that kind of douche-y arrogance doesn’t help anyone sell cars. Speaking as someone who spent a fair portion of the last 17 years selling six-figure cars to wealthy gear head clients, allow me to assure you that being douche-y and arrogant does not help you sell cars.

Or, watches. I guess.

You can see what’s become of Henrik Fisker’s masterpiece in this gallery, below. Let us know what you think of the VL Destino convertible, its new paint color, and its nasty white wax buildup (seriously, they need to butcher the detailer responsible for that horrible shine job) in the comments, below. Enjoy!

Source: Gas 2.