Fisker Automotive announced today that its Karma plug-in hybrid sedan will make its public driving debut at the Rolex Monterey Historic Automobile Races on Saturday, August 15. The Karma Sunset hardtop convertible concept will also be on display along side the Karma sedan but will not show off any moves.

“The Rolex Monterey Historic Automobile Races is the best stage in the world for great moments in automotive history,” said Henrik Fisker, Fisker Automotive CEO. “Fisker is honored to be a part of it.”

Fisker plans to start delivering the first Karmas in the fourth-quarter of this year. Prices start at $80,400 for the coupe. Fisker Karma S Sunset prices will be announced at a later date. Buyers interesting in purchasing the Karma S will have to make a deposit of $25,000.

Source Egmcartech

Just after showing off the the production intent version of the Karma plug-in hybrid sport sedan, designer Henrik Fisker had his models pull the cover off a new concept: the Karma S.

The Karma S takes the drivetrain and platform and loses two doors and the roof. The Sunset has a retractable hardtop over its four seats and, as usual in such configurations, the rear seating area loses out. Thankfully, the top folds into fairly compact pieces, so the Karma S doesn’t suffer from long deck syndrome. Under the hood sits a GM 2.0L turbocharged and direct-injected EcoTec four-cylinder with 260 hp driving a generator to keep the car going after its 50-mile battery range has been depleted. Out back a pair of electric motors drive the rear wheels with 400 hp courtesy of the lithium-ion battery. If Fisker lasts long enough, the Karma S should be out in 2011. Video of the live reveal is available after the jump.

Source Autoblog

Only 12 months since Henrik Fisker unveiled the luxury Karma concept bearing his name and he today returned to Detroit as a former PAG design star with a very similar looking model.

It’s been a busy year for the upstart luxury manufacturer, and in that time, a development center has been built and staffed in nearby Pontiac, Michigan, and the Karma has received an all-new interior (”with eco-friendly materials and absolutely no black plastic buttons”) that includes a new haptic touch-control system for the driver.

The aluminum spaceframe four-door is a plug-in hybrid vehicle that Fisker says will reach 60 miles-per-hour in 5.8 seconds and be able to cruise comfortably at 125 miles-per-hour. Power gets to the 22-inch wheels via a pair of 201 horsepower electric motors backed by a lithium-ion battery pack. A generator is affixed to a 260-horsepower version of General Motors’ 2.0-liter Ecotec engine to provide extended-range capability.

Fisker says his company expects to sign 40 dealers up by year’s end, and notes that he already has 22 on-board. Furthermore, Fisker says he expects production to ramp up to 15,000 units per year, and 1,300 units have already be pre-sold to early adopters. The asking price for the Karma is a reasonable-sounding $87,900, a number that has us wondering how Fisker and Co. intends to make money considering the modest volume projections and cost-intensive R&D. Check out the high-res gallery below, and the video and press release after the jump.

Source Autoblog

An image production model of the Fisker Karma was released a year after the concept was unveiled at the Detroit Auto Show.

Just one short year after Fisker debuted its plug-in hybrid Karma show car at the Detroit Auto Show, the house that Henrik built will be returning to the Motor City to debut the production version of its ambitious project.

Fisker says the production model, which is shown above in this just-released official pic, will only vary slightly in design from the show car, including a different upper grille that’s a bit larger towards the outer edges and a larger lower air intake. The exhaust pipe from the internal combustion engine will also exit from an odd place: behind the front wheels. We’ll also get our first view of the Karma’s production interior in Detroit next month.

Fisker announced last month that it had chosen General Motor’s turbocharged, direct-inject 2.0L four-cylinder as its ICE of choice, and after sampling that engine in the Chevy Cobalt SS Turbo, we’re very eager to see what it will do in a hybrid set-up designed to make one very large luxury saloon move like the wind. Combined with the hybrid system’s 22.6 kWh electric motor, the drivetrain as a whole is said to produce 408 horsepower and propel the car to 60 mph in 5.8 seconds and onto to a top speed of 125 mph. What sounded like vaporware 365 days ago is starting to take form, and we’ll be on hand in Detroit next month to bring you more

Source Autoblog

These spy shots makes it seems pretty certain that Fisker will keep its promise to put its Karma hybrid saloon into production next year.

The sleek four-door was photographed undergoing durability tests in California. Fisker claims the first 99 cars have already been sold, and says that they should reach their owners by the end of next year.

The Karma uses lithium-ion batteries to power an electric motor driving the rear wheels. But the idea is for owners to plug the car in to the mains every day, which gives a 50-mile range if the car is fully charged. Fisker maintains that most people’s daily commute is less than this – a claim backed up by GM, which is aiming for a 40-mile range for the Chevrolet Volt.

Like the Volt’s powerplant, the Karma’s battery can be topped up by a small petrol engine, likely to be a Volkswagen 1.4-litre four-cylinder, which acts as a generator to give it a potential range of 300 miles. Options will include solar panels for your house to provide free, green power to charge the car.

Although the cars are designed and built in the US, Fisker wants 50 per cent of the projected 15,0000-unit production total to be sold overseas; it has appointed its first European importer, based in Italy. The car will cost €80,0000 (£63k) and European deliveries are scheduled to start in 2010.

Source: AutoCar

Fisker Automotive spoke out against the Tesla Motors lawsuit with an announcement today, stating that the company will deliver the Fisker Karma in the fourth-quarter of 2009 as planned. The lawsuit, filed in San Mateo Superior Court in California last week, accuses Henrik Fisker and Bernhard Koehler of fraud and breach of contract during their year-long collaboration in 2007 to design a Tesla Sedan called the WhiteStar. You can read more about the lawsuit by clicking here.

“The lawsuit is nonsense,” said Henrik Fisker, CEO, Fisker Automotive. “Fisker Coachbuild has non-exclusive design contracts as shown by the cars we have designed for a variety of manufacturers.”

If everything stays on track, the Fisker Karma will begin delivers in 2009 with an annual production of 15,000 units. Pricing starts at $80,000.

Press Release:

FISKER AUTOMOTIVE ON TRACK FOR 2009 FOURTH QUARTER DELIVERY DESPITE RECENT ALLEGATIONS

Irvine, California – April 24, 2008 – Today, Fisker Automotive, Inc. announced that the company is on track for delivery of the Fisker Karma in Q4 2009, and that it will vigorously defend the recent allegations put forth by Tesla. Tesla Motors breached the arbitration agreement in its contract with Fisker by filing these meritless claims in San Mateo County court.

“The lawsuit is nonsense,” said Henrik Fisker, CEO, Fisker Automotive. “Fisker Coachbuild has non-exclusive design contracts as shown by the cars we have designed for a variety of manufacturers.”

Fisker Automotive launched the highly anticipated Fisker Karma, a plug-in hybrid electric (PHEV) premium vehicle at the 2008 North American International Auto Show. The revolutionary technology incorporated into the powertrain was developed by Quantum Technologies, a public company, which first proved its capability with the launch of a U.S. military vehicle created for U.S. Army Special Operations in 2003.

“In January of 2007 I first met Henrik Fisker. Soon thereafter, I became convinced that a strategic alliance joining together Quantum’s (PHEV) unique technology position with Fisker’s design expertise could be leveraged into a company capable of launching the first premium sports sedan for the (PHEV) segment,” expressed Alan Niedzwiecki, CEO, Quantum Technologies. “In August 2007 that vision became a reality with the inception of Fisker Automotive Inc., effectively combining Quantum’s (PHEV) drivetrain expertise with a remarkable design from Fisker Coachbuild LLC.”

“We are confident that Fisker Automotive continues to be a tremendous investment opportunity,” said Ray Lane, Kleiner Perkins. “The design innovation of Henrik Fisker combined with the hybrid drive train experience of Quantum is unique in the automotive market.”

The Fisker name for more than a decade has attracted and attained worldwide recognition. Henrik Fisker has more than 19 years of experience in the automotive and product design arena. Some of his pioneering includes work on the BMW E-1 electric car in 1991, the BMW Z8 and the Aston Martin V8 Vantage. Most recently Fisker Coachbuild created the Fisker Tramonto and Fisker Latigo CS in 2005.

“Fisker Coachbuild is proud of its premier reputation for design work and we look forward to continuing to build on that reputation,” said Henrik Fisker.

Fisker’s premium hybrid sports sedan at last has a name: Karma. It is particularly apt since the coach builder’s aim is to give customers a luxury sports sedan that they can feel proud for what it does (or doesn’t do) to the environment. The Karma is powered by a system called Q-DRIVE, developed by Quantum Technologies, that combines a four-cylinder engine sending power to a generator to propel the four-door sedan. Fisker claims that the Karma can run from zero to sixty in 5.8 seconds and reach a top speed of 125 mph.

There are two different modes available to drivers; the first, dubbed “Stealth Drive” is a pure electric mode which should allow the Karma to run off the lithium ion battery pack for 50 miles before the engine kicks into boost the juice. The second, a sports mode, integrates the four-banger for peak performance and, according to Fisker, makes the Karma sound like a combination of a jet fighter and an F1 car. The batteries themselves are placed smack dab in the middle of the vehicle, which lowers the car’s center of gravity and improves weight distribution. Of course, the Karma is a luxury vehicle at heart and will include a navigation system and DVD player with headrest-mounted displays.

As for the design, it’s unique and we’re totally crushing on it. It’s like a Maserati Quattroporte with more curves and character. Make no mistake, if you eventually own one you’ll never see another on the road. If you’re interested, however, you’ll have to wait until late 2009 to take delivery, although we’re certain Fisker wouldn’t mind accepting a deposit before then. The first batch of 99 will be signed by the designer, Henrik Fisker, and coated in the same color as above. Price? $80,000.