My Perfect Automobile » Fisker

I’m Buying Fisker Kharma Corp!

Bob T — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 08:30:43 +0000

Rumor has it that Fisker Kharma is in financial trouble and can be bought. Now if I were a big car manufacturer I would seriously be looking at this opportunity. The CAFE (Corporate Average Fuel Economy) standards are getting closer and closer. I don’t see that some of the big car manufacturers are on target to meet these standards soon. Yet here is an opportunity to make significant gains towards meeting the standards.

The Fisker Kharma is a fully functional Electric Plug in automobile with the advantage that it has a range extender. Just like the Volt. All R&D has been done and already a few thousand have been sold. I can think of a number of companies that should be studying this opportunity. Even if they won’t continue to produce the car the way it is now, at least all the technical research has been done and proven in a fully working functional automobile. Skip the eco friendly interior, go straight for the power plant. Fiat has proven that it can take over companies and make them succeed. Since it already controls a number of exotic cars, this would be right along its specialty. Tata Motors took control of Jaguar. Although Jaguar is showing attempts at hybrids it may still be a long way from a production model. Again this would be a chance to get into this technology which had been painstakingly developed over many many years.

Or what about a Chinese company? Tell Uncle Sam thanks for the loans or supposed loans but we don’t need you any longer. We got cash and are very interested in seeing China go green. Can a Fisker Kharma be produced at half the cost?

Its time that an Arabian company starts producing something else besides oil. Think of the huge PR opportunity if a Saudi Arabian Oil Sheik started producing clean electric vehicles.

So maybe I can’t afford to buy Fisker Kharma corp. I already own a Volt, its cheaper sister, and I would seriously consider trading it in for a Cadillac ELR. But a person can always dream big! That is one thing I like about America, no lack of opportunity to dream big!

Bob Twaalfhoven

Bob Twaalfhoven + is My Perfect Automobile’s Genius Owner and Visionary Creator, but people just call him “Bob T”.. Here is his full Bio: Bob Twaalfhoven. Bob lives in San Jose, CA and is also the Founder of BobCAD-CAM software. BobCAD-CAM was created by Bob, who was an engineer graduate of MIT in 1978. He created the software as a means to bring the technology of CAD/CAM to the personal computer. But overall – Bob is a lover of cars, engines and anything that is fast…

Fisker Automotive May Get New Owners

Larry Bell — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 22:16:16 +0000

Fisker Karma plug-in hybrid car

Fisker Automotive is said to be in the midst of a deal that would turn majority control of the company over to China’s Dongfeng Motors, an automaker based in Wuhan, and which would take 85 percent control of Fisker if Dongfeng’s offer of $350 million is accepted. Fisker put out feelers for bids, with a closing date of Feb. 6, and now has numerous proposals to choose from. That amount of money could help the struggling maker of the Karma hybrid to pay back its U.S. government loans and focus on producing automobiles.

Fisker Automotive: Video

For a clear, concise explanation of the Fisker Karma’s drivetrain operation, view the video clip below, which uses a graphic depiction of the car to show how the Karma’s regenerative braking works, where the pack is situated, and why the exhaust pipes are located behind the front wheels. The Karma is an extended-range hybrid vehicle that garnered huge media attention when it arrived in the marketplace in 2011. Many automotive writers compared the car to the Chevy Volt and the Tesla Model S, though that analysis is hard to justify. For one thing, as you can see in the clip, the Karma is much closer in design to the Volt than to the Model S, which is an all-electric vehicle. And the Volt is priced significantly lower than the Karma, to the tune of about $60,000 less.

Fisker’s New Owners

If the Chinese deal goes through as expected, many wonder whether the face of Fisker’s future lineup will change. Will there be more chrome-plated Justin Bieber Karmas, or will the brand go the way of some of China’s more mundane hybrids? Whenever a car manufacturer goes on the auction block, there is no sure way to know the company’s future until a deal takes place.

For more about Fisker Automotive, maker of the Karma, see the company’s official corporate website:
http://www.fiskerautomotive.com

Larry Bell

Larry Bell + is My Perfect Automobile’s Genius Author, but we call him ‘The Expert‘. Here is his full Blog: My Perfect Automobile. Larry lives in San Jose, CA and is also the Expert Author. Larry is a lover of the Automobile as well and shares a passion for Concept, Hybrid and Electric Cars…

Bieber, Lautner, Jonas All Drive This Car

Larry Bell — Thu, 20 Dec 2012 20:10:13 +0000

Bieber-mobile: Justin’s chrome Fisker Karma

Now it is official: Three of the most popular young males on the planet are Fisker Karma owners. Teen heartthrobs Justin Bieber, Joe Jonas, and Taylor Lautner all drive Karmas, but only one of them has a special chrome-plated model. Bieber’s shiny Karma has been the subject of endless media ink since he received the unique hybrid vehicle as a birthday present. Soon after, Justin was stopped by police and made the cover of every tabloid newspaper in the universe. Now, with Lautner and Jonas as fellow Fisker owners, the car can rightly claim to be number one among teen glitterati.

Fisker Karma Hot Ad: Video

With the production quality of a high-end Hollywood movie, the following Fisker Karma commercial will either make you want to go out immediately and purchase a car, or buy some ice cubes. Watch the video to understand what that means, but be warned, when the Fisker people mention ‘pure driving passion,’ they know what they’re talking about. As car company advertisements go, this has to be one of the, how shall we put it, most sensual. The final tag line says it all: The Fisker Karma is designed to get you, not the planet, hot. View the clip and be your own judge.

Bieber, Lautner, Jonas

The Karma made its debut on the world stage at the 2008 Detroit Auto Show as Fisker’s first production vehicle. The company was founded in Sept. of 2007. The hybrid-electric car gets an EPA all-electric range rating of 32 miles, but the German Technical Inspection Association tested the Karma and found that its range was 52 miles per charge. The car’s combined fuel efficiency is 112 mpg-equivalent according to the German testing organization.

For more about Fisker Automotive, and some awesome photos of the Karma, see the company’s official corporate website:
http://www.fiskerautomotive.com

Larry Bell

Fisker Atlantic: Tech Center in Michigan?

Larry Bell — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 02:39:56 +0000

Fisker Atlantic

Fisker Automotive, maker of extended-range electric luxury cars, has unveiled plans to open a new technical center in the Midwest, for the purpose of developing its Atlantic automobile. One of the plant’s possible sites is in the state of Michigan. Fisker is looking to open the doors of the facility in 2013, marking the first such location for the company in the center of the U.S. automotive corridor. The company also plans to construct a production facility in Delaware.

Fisker Atlantic: Video

For a photo montage of Fisker’s new Atlantic concept, see the following video clip, which features every conceivable angle of the sleek new hybrid, a product from the makers of the Fisker Karma. Technically called an extended-range luxury car by its creator, the four-door is designed for youngish families who want to do their part for the environment. The Atlantic offers an integrated combination of sportiness and practicality, without range anxiety. Like one of its rival’s creations, the Chevy Volt, the Atlantic is a plug-in hybrid with a lithium-ion battery pack. The Atlantic powertrain is of the high-performance variety, and the four-cylinder gas engine is essentially a generator, in no way connected to the wheels. When Atlantic arrives in showrooms, look for a rear-wheel and all-wheel-drive option on Fisker’s latest entry into the alt-fuel arena.

Fisker Atlantic

Fisker President and CEO, Tony Posawatz, emphasized the advantages of the new facility, saying, “This important step signals our commitment to bringing the Fisker Atlantic to market as soon as we can. We will be bringing our own engineering footprint closer to our supplier base and the expertise and professional workforce that have driven the American automotive industry for more than a century.” The company will announce the final decision about the new facility’s location early in 2013.

For more information about all the Fisker vehicles, see the company’s official website:
http://www.fiskerautomotive.com

Larry Bell

Fisker Karma a Hit at SEMA Show

Larry Bell — Wed, 31 Oct 2012 18:04:08 +0000

Fisker Karma

The SEMA trade show at the Las Vegas Convention Center opened this week, with Fisker Automotive in attendance for the first time. The company is on hand to show several slightly adapted versions of its flagship vehicle, the Karma. The event is not open to the public, but is heavily attended by automotive industry professionals, including a healthy number of reps from global car manufacturers. Fisker has recently collaborated with Goodrich, Mobil 1, and 3M. At the show, the Karma on display will feature the automaker’s “Diamond Protection Film,” a unique, clear body-wrap.

Fisker Karma: Video

The SEMA show tends to emphasize power, speed, and souped-up, tricked-out engines that are adapted for street racing or made into showpieces. Not this time around. The Fisker Karma is on hand at the Las Vegas venue for a special SEMA paint treatment. Some of the highest-tech exterior coatings were applied to the Karma, and the results, as you see in the clip below, are truly astounding. As hybrid and electric racing becomes more commonplace, the SEMA show has begun to display more alternative fuel vehicles than in the past. The show gets an enormous amount of coverage from the mainstream media, and is a good way for manufacturers to show off their models. Fisker Automotive made a smart move by bringing their car to this year’s SEMA show.

Fisker Karma

Each of Fisker’s new business partners has some tie-in with the Karma display. Fisker and 3M developed the vinyl paint coatings, while the display cars’ chrome wheel finish is a Goodrich product. A silver and blue Karma will stand in the Mobil 1 display area to signify the new relationship between those two corporations. Due to the positive reception the Karma has received at SEMA, look for the automaker to make a return trip next year.

For more about Fisker automobiles, see the official corporate website:
http://www.fiskerautomotive.com

Larry Bell

Fisker Automotive Collects Four Awards

Larry Bell — Sat, 20 Oct 2012 13:24:44 +0000

Fisker Automotive: 2013 Surf concept car

Fisker Automotive continues to amass awards for its historic hybrid-electric car, the Karma. The company recently added four new trophies to its crowded mantle, the latest for design and technical innovation. Fisker’s CEO, Tony Posawatz, said these awards “rightly recognize both the stunning design and technological innovation that this car has brought to the market. We truly are bringing customers tomorrow’s car today.”

Fisker Automotive: Video

Based on the same platform as the Fisker Karma, the company’s Surf concept is a five-door model with a unique lift-up tailgate and is the subject of the video link below. The engine of the Surf never powers the wheels directly, as in the Karma (and in GM’s Chevy Volt). Fisker’s engineers say the car will reach 124 mph. The photomontage in the clip details the exterior as well as the inside of the sleek hybrid. The Surf first showed its face to the world at Frankfurt’s 2011 Motor Show, but company executives say the idea had been around, though kept under wraps, since sometime in 2009. Henrik Fisker described the Surf as a “merger of a sports car with a station wagon,” just before the car’s unveiling.

Fisker Automotive Awards

Fast Company Magazine presented Fisker with its “Innovation by Design” award this week, the Karma besting other nominees, which included Ford Fusion, Faraday Bike, and the Boeing 787 airliner. In addition, Fisker picked up Motor Trend Magazine’s recognition as one of the “Top 10 Future Classics.” Sweden’s Auto Motor Und Sport Magazine gave its “Environmental Car of the Year” trophy to the Karma, and Germany’s Auto Bild Magazine gave the Fisker Karma its “Classic Car of the Future” award in that competition’s limousine category.

For more about Fisker Automotive, the Karma, and the Surf concept, see the company’s official corporate website:
http://www.fiskerautomotive.com

Larry Bell

Fisker Karma, Harrison Ford Star in New Film

Larry Bell — Wed, 17 Oct 2012 06:39:08 +0000

Fisker Karma: Harrison Ford’s new co-star

Fisker Automotive announced this week that their flagship hybrid-electric luxury car, the Karma, would star alongside Harrison Ford in next year’s corporate thriller, “Paranoia.” The news is doubly good for Fisker, since the car’s role in the movie is as a symbol of success for an up-and-coming, young business executive, played by Liam Hemsworth. The older business tycoon, played by Ford, lures the young man with the gift of a Fisker Karma, hoping to pull him over to the wrong side of the law. The car, no longer playing second fiddle to celeb owners like Leonardo DiCaprio and Justin Bieber, is at the center of the new film’s plot.

Fisker Karma: Video

Maybe you have seen or test driven a Fisker Karma. Even so, the video review below gives a complete overview of the inside and outside of the gorgeous vehicle, which the reviewer says actually looks like a concept car. He’s right. Touting the impressive power of the rear-wheel drive beauty, he calls the Karma essentially an electric car, and then goes into enough detail to tell us that the Karma is mechanically equivalent to the Chevy Volt, by virtue of the fact that the gasoline engine never directly drives the wheels. The clip contains a helpful discussion on the topic of weight distribution, which many reviewers never mention.

Fisker Karma

Harrison Ford himself has told interviewers that the Fisker Karma was chosen for the role because of its upscale, elite appeal. Producers needed a vehicle that would instantly symbolize power and upward mobility. Whether this means a possible Academy Award nomination for the Karma is hard to say. So far, every nominee has been a human being, but movie people are unpredictable, and as they say, “Anything can happen on Oscar night.”

For more about the company that makes the Fisker Karma, see the official corporate website:
http://www.fiskerautomotive.com

Larry Bell

Use Solar Power to Charge Your Hybrid or EV

Larry Bell — Mon, 15 Oct 2012 19:41:18 +0000

Solar power: Fisker Karma’s roof features solar panels

Last week’s SxSW Eco conference in Austin, Tex., featured a new online tool that helps car owners calculate the cost savings of building home solar stations to power their electric and hybrid vehicles. The app provides a detailed, yearly cost breakdown for people who want to know the line-by-line expenses related to an investment in solar panels. It even takes into account loan amounts and interest rates connected to financing a solar collection station, right down to monthly payments, installation costs, and service charges.

Solar Power: Video

Adding a solar station onto your home is one thing, but keep in mind that some vehicles already feature supplementary solar cells. One of the most well known is the Fisker Karma, a hybrid-electric car that has solar panels in its roof. The following video clip shows how the roof collects the sun’s energy and converts it into usable electricity to power the car’s climate control systems. Standard in all Fisker Karmas, the glass roof is the largest such device offered on any production car.

Solar Power

The key to the new app is finding out how much money you can save by going solar and buying an electric or hybrid car. Creators of the software say it is the best way to find out if you can afford to power your EV or hybrid from a set of your own solar panels. Car owners who go solar no longer need to worry about the fluctuating cost of grid electricity, because they are making their own.

For more about solar panels and how they work, see the following information link, which goes into detail about all the uses and applications of solar energy. Automakers are even incorporating solar panels into their vehicles (see video, above), and industry is increasingly using supplemental solar power systems to create auxiliary electricity for factories, assembly plants, and office buildings.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_panel

http://www.fiskerautomotive.com

Larry Bell

Fisker Stock Offering in the Works

Larry Bell — Tue, 02 Oct 2012 18:38:04 +0000

Fisker 2013 Surf concept car

Fisker Automotive, maker of the Karma hybrid-electric luxury car, made two major announcements early this week. First, the company is shopping for partners in the parts and technology business, who would presumably work toward bringing the next Fisker vehicles to market. In addition, Fisker CEO Tony Posawatz told the Automotive Press Association that Fisker is hoping to raise cash for new auto releases by way of a public stock offering.

Fisker Atlantic: Video

The video clip below provides a thorough look at the Fisker concept car, the Atlantic. Unveiled at this year’s New York Auto Show, the hybrid-electric stunner works much the same as Chevy’s Volt and Fisker’s other hybrid, the Karma. With promised performance on a par with the BMW 3-Series and even the Audi A5, the Atlantic is one of Fisker Automotive’s attempts to go a bit more mainstream with its cars. At about half the price of a Karma, the Atlantic is expected to have a sticker of around $55,000, which will make it fully competitive with some BMW, Audi, and Mercedes-Benz vehicles, its likely competitors.

Fisker Stock

No timetable has been set for the IPO, but industry-watchers say that Fisker is keeping a close eye on rival Tesla Motors, who made its own initial public offering (IPO) two years ago. The unknown factor about Fisker’s future partners has to do with the structure of that agreement. It could be anything from a standard tech-sharing arrangement to an outright sale of the company.

For now, Fisker Automotive offers a single car, the Karma, which carries a sticker of just over $100,000. The sleek, trendy plug-in hybrid is soon to be joined by a more realistically priced coupe, the Atlantic, whose sales debut has yet to be pinpointed.

For more about Fisker Automotive and some amazing photos of the Karma, see the company’s official corporate website:
http://onward.fiskerautomotive.com/en-us

Larry Bell

Fisker World Record in Venlo, Netherlands

Larry Bell — Mon, 10 Sep 2012 15:32:11 +0000

Happy Fisker owners in the Netherlands

Fisker Automotive set a world record last week when 45 of its luxury Karma hybrid vehicles charged up simultaneously at a scenic outdoor locale in Venlo, Netherlands. Fisker is having a successful sales year in The Netherlands, due to the nation’s strict environmental laws, which generously reward hybrid and electric vehicle manufacturers. Recently, Fisker created a similar publicity event when 28 of its Karma vehicles drove up California’s Pacific Coast Highway at the same time.

Fisker Netherlands: Video

The venue at Venlo, hosted by e-laad, was ready for the big event, as documented in the short video below. One of The Netherlands’ most famous celebrities, astronaut Andre’ Kuipers, was the first to arrive, and acted as official car-counter for the world-record attempt. Kuipers recently returned from a six-month stint on the International Space Station.

After the last Karma arrived, all the cars were plugged in and charged up together. Kuipers walked the aisle and did an official count. The final tally showed 45 Karmas all plugged in and juicing up. It was a new world record. This mark beats the old record by two vehicles.

True to Fisker media galas, the record-setting event was hosted by formally dressed servers who carried glasses of champagne on trays. Car owners who took part also treated it as a formal occasion, dressing up and turning the successful attempt into an outdoor reception-type atmosphere, with smiles, handshakes, and backslaps all around.

The Karma is a plug-in hybrid sports sedan manufactured at the Valmet Automotive facility in Finland. The EPA rates the Karma’s fuel economy at 52 mpg-e in all-electric mode, and 20 mpg in gasoline mode. The car’s range in all-electric mode is 32 miles. Due to the small size of the interior cabin, the EPA has rated the Fisker Karma as a subcompact car.

For more about Fisker cars, see the company’s official corporate website:
http://www.fiskerautomotive.com

Larry Bell

Fisker Karma: Europe’s New Star?

Larry Bell — Thu, 23 Aug 2012 12:47:48 +0000

Fisker Karma: Europe’s new star

This week, Fisker Automotive co-founder Henrik Fisker announced that the company’s Karma hybrid-electric automobile is on its way to becoming a sales champ in the European automobile market. For the first quarter of 2012, Karma was the number two luxury car, in sales of four-door models. Fisker pointed out that his firm’s Karma has two built-in advantages in Europe. First is the fact that CO2 emissions are taxed, which makes the Fisker Karma price-competitive with the Mercedes S class, its nearest competitor. Second, the Karma provides a green alternative to many of Europe’s other luxury cars.

Fisker Karma: Video

If you are curious about how the Fisker Karma handles, have a look at the video clip below, in which Motor Trend’s test-driver rates the car during a run at the California Speedway. Before summarizing the entire experience as “wonderful,” he provides a detailed critique of the Karma.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mIfedWANIJg

Assessing the rear-weight bias as a positive, the car does not nose-dive on braking due to the flat chassis. Fifty-three percent of the Karma’s weight is in the rear, but since the back tires are larger, the balance issue is a non-issue. In fact, as the tester notes, when braking into a turn, the tail of the car actually moves with you to assist the motion of the curve.

Fisker Karma: Driving

Overall, the test run at California Speedway ended with the evaluator mentioning that Karma could compete with many of the higher-end sports cars on the road today. Half-jokingly, he points out that movie stars and celebrities might want to trade in their Prius hybrids for the flashier Karma in order to maintain their “Hollywood” images. A nice environmental touch is the use of recycled wood in the Karma, as well as the solar roof panels.

For more about Fisker Automotive, maker of the Karma, see the company’s official website:
http://www.fiskerautomotive.com

Larry Bell

Fisker Automotive: New CEO

Larry Bell — Wed, 15 Aug 2012 13:03:53 +0000

Fisker Automotive: 2012 Karma

Fisker Automotive announced that one of the key executives behind development of GM’s Chevy Volt would take over as the new CEO at Fisker. Tony Posawatz, 52, will step in to replace Tom LaSorda, a member of the Fisker board who held the CEO job since early this year. In fact, one of LaSorda’s recent tasks was to locate someone to fill the post. Fisker Automotive released an official statement in which LaSorda commented that his most recent job was “to recruit a long-term CEO, and I cannot think of a better person than Tony to take us forward.”

Fisker Automotive: Video

One of the world’s biggest stars, Justin Bieber, purchased a Fisker Karma and later had it chrome-plated. For those who have never had a chance to see the Bieber-mobile up close, the video clip below will satisfy. It merely consists of a walk-around of JB’s shiny hybrid. The car was a birthday gift to the pop star, and is just one of the many unique vehicles in his collection.

Fisker Automotive: News

LaSorda himself will be leaving Fisker’s CEO job as well as its board, though he will remain as an adviser to the luxury automaker. Fisker is based in Anaheim, Calif., and sells the plug-in Karma. Recently, the company has been working on development of a less expensive version of the Karma, called the Atlantic. Posawatz has been at GM for many years, most recently becoming the chief of the company’s hybrid car development team in 2006. After the birth, and critical praise, of the subsequent Chevy Volt, Posawatz brought one of GM’s most historic efforts to a close with the car’s introduction and retail sales success.

For more about Fisker’s new CEO and all the latest developments from the automaker, see the official corporate site:
http://www.fiskerautomotive.com

Larry Bell