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Fisker
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fisker karma
Fisker Karma Hybrid Testing In Southern California
Despite whispers of vaporware and only a little more than four months since the original concept was debuted at the 2008 Detroit Auto Show, Fisker has handed out a set of six images of the Fisker Karma testing in Southern California. The prototype looks shockingly similar to the show car and is wearing only the lightest of camouflage, just vinyl stickers which do little to obscure the cars handsome body work. More »
7:20 PM on Fri May 9 2008
By Ben Wojdyla
4,850 views,
33 comments
alternative energy
When we heard that Th!nk was coming to America our cynicism censors immediately lit up. Is this the same Th!nk that failed here before, went bankrupt, had their electric bike recalled and has annoying punctuation in their name? Yes. But they got that sweet sweet Kleiner Perkins VC money, right? True, that money has yet to produce a commercially successful car. The interesting history of all that below.
More »
Something To Th!nk About Regarding The Coming (Hopefully) Green Vehicle Revolution
When we heard that Th!nk was coming to America our cynicism censors immediately lit up. Is this the same Th!nk that failed here before, went bankrupt, had their electric bike recalled and has annoying punctuation in their name? Yes. But they got that sweet sweet Kleiner Perkins VC money, right? True, that money has yet to produce a commercially successful car. The interesting history of all that below.
More »
4:20 PM on Tue Apr 29 2008
By Matt Hardigree
2,921 views,
29 comments
Latest by kengrubb: In the U.S., an electric vehicle is likely NOT being charged with electricity from a coal source. [www.eia.doe.gov] more »
alternative energy
PopMech Analyzes The Tesla Lawsuit Shenanigans
This week we heard about a couple of lawsuits mythical electric sports car almost-manufacturer Tesla has managed to get tied up in. The first one saw Magna suing Tesla for breach of contract over its transmission design, the other was Tesla going medieval on Fisker for allegedly stealing designs associated with the Tesla Whitestar Hybrid for its Fisker Karma Hybrid. Well Popular Mechanics has gone out and consulted a lawyer-type about the guts of these lawsuits and what the likely outcomes of the twin tussles might be. We just want the slap fights to be over. [Popular Mechanics]
news
Tesla Sues Fisker Designers In World's Most Expensive Girl Fight
Tesla Motors, the manufacturer of the Tesla Roadster, has filed suit against Henrik Fisker and Bernhard Koehler (yes that Fisker) claiming the duo stole confidential design information and trade secrets while working for Tesla. We're not trying to pick sides around these parts, but the Tesla claims make some sense. More »
industry news
Fisker Adding External Speakers To Karma, Michael Stipe Alarmed
Henrik Fisker has announced that his new Karma plug-in hybrid sports car will come equipped with external speakers for pedestrian safety. The four seat Karma goes on sale late in 2009 and is capable of traveling up to 50 miles without using the gasoline engine. While in electric-only mode it's virtually silent, prompting fears that pedestrians could be at risk if they're unable to hear it coming. Capable of playing any sound its owner chooses, one option according to Fisker is, "like something between a Formula One car and a jet plane."More »
question of the day
Who Gets the Buzz Bump From Detroit?
Going into The 2008 Detroit Auto Show, insiders and casual observers alike could be excused for thinking that... THE SKY IS FALLING! THE SKY IS FALLING! Yeah, that's how much fear and trembling there's been swirling around the car biz, what with the tanking dollar and all this talk about "Peak Oil" and the Ford Motor Company ignoring those dinnertime calls from from Visa and MasterCard. Still, a big event like this can't help but send a few lucky folks back to the assembly lines with the electric shiver of BUZZ in their spines. Because isn't that what the Detroit show is all about anyway? More »
alternative energy
More on the The Fisker Karma: Vaporware or Military-Industrial Complexity?
Despite a convincing introduction of the Fisker Karma luxury hybrid this week, some of the most unbridled optimists on our Rolodex are whispering the techie's ultimate damnation: it's vaporware. Maybe they're jaded by the reported troubles at Tesla, especially on the heels of such a massive inflow of gushing page-inches and personal salivation (remember, of course, their story isn't over until some fat Chapter 11 attorney sings). Nonetheless, we talked for a bit with Alan Niedzwiecki, CEO of Quantum Technologies, maker of the Q DRIVE series-hybrid system powering Henrik Fisker's luxury sedan. More »
detroit auto show
The big news today is the Fisker Karma Luxury Hybrid, which is going to come at $80,000 and deliver luxury style, GT performance and eco-friendliness. And this isn't a flight of fancy. This is a production model that will be produced in the fourth quarter of 2009 with venture capital funding by Kleiner Perkins, who made big investments in Netscape and Google at the right time that later turned into big victories. A true lithium-ion plug-in hybrid, the electrical system is good for 50 miles of electric-only driving in stealth mode. Otherwise, the second mode of the hybrid system involves a performance-oriented four cylinder engine. The company currently puts the performance at 5.8 seconds 0-60 mph with a top speed of 125 mph (continuous). Interestingly, we also got photos of Mark Fields chatting it up at the Fisker display before the reveal. Old friend, new partner — or maybe a mullet potential curious onlooker attempting to find out more about what's going on under the hood?
More »
Detroit Auto Show: Fisker Karma Luxury Hybrid, Only $80,000
The big news today is the Fisker Karma Luxury Hybrid, which is going to come at $80,000 and deliver luxury style, GT performance and eco-friendliness. And this isn't a flight of fancy. This is a production model that will be produced in the fourth quarter of 2009 with venture capital funding by Kleiner Perkins, who made big investments in Netscape and Google at the right time that later turned into big victories. A true lithium-ion plug-in hybrid, the electrical system is good for 50 miles of electric-only driving in stealth mode. Otherwise, the second mode of the hybrid system involves a performance-oriented four cylinder engine. The company currently puts the performance at 5.8 seconds 0-60 mph with a top speed of 125 mph (continuous). Interestingly, we also got photos of Mark Fields chatting it up at the Fisker display before the reveal. Old friend, new partner — or maybe a More »
12:45 PM on Mon Jan 14 2008
By Matt Hardigree
10,613 views,
43 comments
Latest by smokes: Corvette-meets-DeLorean look. Who needs education if you can buy top-tech in sleek design? Top-10 if it delivers! more »
detroit auto show
The embargo for the Fisker Karma Luxury Hybrid from coachbuilder Fisker (responsible for questionably revised european luxury models) was broken two days ago and then unbroken by some concerned PR people and now it appears that AutoBlog.it has broken the embargo again! Molto Bene! The Karma Hybrid will be powered by the Quantum Technologies-sourced Q-DRIVE System (a series hybrid with a small gas engine running to generate power for lithium ion battery packs). This is good for a claimed 0-60 mph time of six seconds and a top speed of 125 mph and a range of 50 miles on batteries alone.
[AutoBlog.it]
Detroit Auto Show: Fisker Karma Luxury Hybrid
The embargo for the Fisker Karma Luxury Hybrid from coachbuilder Fisker (responsible for questionably revised european luxury models) was broken two days ago and then unbroken by some concerned PR people and now it appears that AutoBlog.it has broken the embargo again! Molto Bene! The Karma Hybrid will be powered by the Quantum Technologies-sourced Q-DRIVE System (a series hybrid with a small gas engine running to generate power for lithium ion battery packs). This is good for a claimed 0-60 mph time of six seconds and a top speed of 125 mph and a range of 50 miles on batteries alone. [AutoBlog.it]
6:13 PM on Sun Jan 13 2008
By Matt Hardigree
5,638 views,
41 comments
Latest by RoninianHoon: My dragon tail just poked a hole in my chair... more »
new cars
2008 Artega GT Set for Production
detroit auto show
Teaser of Fisker Coachbuild Hybrid Breaks Cover
Yesterday, we saw designer-coachbuilder Henrik Fisker striding through the SEMA crowds. Dressed in ultra-European finery, the portly, blond Dane looked like Lord Mountbatten at a Good Charlotte concert. Now, the company that bears his name has released an image of the car that may redefine what we think about hybrids. It's a joint project of Fisker Coachbuild and Quantum Fuel Systems, a luxe gas-electric hybrid Fisker says will debut at the coming Detroit Auto show in January. The price will be under $100,000, and it'll be the height of a 911 with the interior space of a Mercedes S-Class. And potentially, according to this official rendering, the face of a Fisker. [Motor Authority]
detroit auto show
Fisker Coachbuild and Quantum Technologies Team up on Luxury Plug-In Hybrid
What happens when you pair up a design and coachbuilding firm with an alternative-energy startup? We're not sure yet, but a joint venture is on between Quantum Technologies and Fisker Coachbuild, a company founded by former Aston Martin and BMW designer Henrik Fisker. Fisker is most recently known for the Tramanto and Latigo — rebodied examples of the Mercedes SL and BMW 6-Series, respectively. Quantum says its progress in plug-in hybrid technology means the company's ready to team up on a limited-production vehicle to debut at the 2008 Detroit Auto Show. We're not sure exactly what the have in store, only that it'll be luxurious and expensive in a manner befitting a car whose major technology is in the early-adopter stage. Maybe they'll even beat Porsche to the punch. More »
news
Sing a Song of Henrik, Buy a Piece of Fisker
Fisker Couchbuild, er Coachbuild, wants to build a 400-car-a-year $100k premium-segment unit, but to do that, they need money. We're somewhat underwhelmed by the company's Tramonto, which costs a whole lot more than the Merc SL — a car that won't have people asking, "What's that?" To which your reply is, "Well, it's a rebodied Mercedes built by a guy who used to work for Aston Martin." And if they've got half a brain, they'll respond, "So why didn't you just buy a Mercedes and an Aston then?" Regardless, Henrik's looking for investors, so if we're proven wrong and Fisker's strategy is correct, well then, you'll make some dosh. More »
news
Henrik's Fiskars Now Avalabile to Snip UK-Spec BMWs, Mercs
The Fisker Tramanto and Latigo, the Mercedes SL and BMW 6-based bespoke coupes designed by the former Aston Martin guy are now available in the UK. Fisker claims that they'll only build 150 of each model for the world market, leaving the well-heeled Brits in a hurry to have the latest and dubiously greatest in some sort of busy tizzy for Henrik's rebodied renditions of German semi-supercars. Meanwhile, if we ate lobster bisque, we'd go have some and then take a nap. More »
celebrities
Bespoke Fisker Latigo Coupe Gets Close-up on
With all the talk about Crunk-style Donks and Bubbles and Bezerkers (ok, scratch that last one), those neon-painted bargain hoopties with the 40" rims and skyward lifts, it's good to know the music business still appreciates high-margin luxury goods. Take, for example, the bespoke Latigo CS, a rebodied BMW 6-Series with an interior created from the skins of calves who've been fed nothing but shaved white truffles, and whose personal assistants already have Sidekick IVs. But really, the Latigo, a product of Fisker Coachbuild, was recently featured in a video by LeToya Luckett, late of Destiny's Child. You go, Henrik! More »
forbes
Forbes Lists Spring Hotttness, We're Underwhelmed
Supposedly, spring has sprung, but the weather here in Southern California is suspiciously similar to what we were dealing with back in February. Somebody's lying. And Dan Lienert's gotta be lying through his teeth when he calls the Cadillac Escalade EXT "ultra-cool." Dan, you know what we do whenever we see some poor schnook in an EXT? We laugh. We giggle. Sometimes we point. There is nothing cool about the EXT. But at least the 'Slade-Up inspires some reaction. The rest of the cars on the list, with the exception of the M6 and the V8 Vantage, basically inspire a case of seasonally affected dysthemia. Click through to get bored.More »
custom cars/hot rods: tuners
