<![CDATA[Jalopnik: north]]> http://tags.jalopnik.com/assets/base/img/thumbs140x140/jalopnik.com.png <![CDATA[Jalopnik: north]]> http://jalopnik.com/tag/north http://jalopnik.com/tag/north <![CDATA[Fisker Karma Gets A Starting Price Of $87,900, We Get First Front Shot Of Tesla-Killer]]> Following yesterday's hind end reveal of the Fisker Karma Tesla-killer, today we get a low-resolution peek at its nose ahead of an official reveal at the 2009 Detroit Auto Show. Again we see the production-intent car mimics the concept car almost identically, though the grille is revised nicely for a much sleeker look. But what of the details of this unique luxury automobile?

The price has been revised from the original $80,000 upwards to around $87,900 but along with the price we get specs. The Karma will get not one, but two electric motors as part of its "Q-drive" powertain system, and they augment a 265 HP GM Ecotec turbocharged four cylinder for a grand total of 408 HP and 959 lb-ft of torque. In full sport mode that car will scoot from zero to 60 MPH in only 5.8 seconds, top speed is pegged at 125 MPH. Switch it down to miser mode and you can go 50 miles in all electric mode, drawing power from the lithium-ion battery pack. Production is planned for 15,000 cars a year when the line gets rolling, but don't get too excited, it's already sold out until mid-2010. We'll bring you more details as they emerge, but keep it tuned here for the latest. [Road And Track]

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<![CDATA[Fisker Karma Previewed Ahead Of Detroit Reveal]]> If we take out our crystal ball and look forward two months, the big three will have their precious loans in hand, Barack Obama will have solved global warming and given everyone a puppy that craps rainbows, and the 2009 Fisker Karma will be fighting the 2010 Toyota Prius and the 2010 Honda Insight for bragging rights as press darlings of the 2009 Detroit Auto Show.

Considering this preview image looks pretty much exactly like the original concept right down to the solar panel roof, it's going to be tough for the decidedly less sexy Prius and Insight to keep up. The car will be debuting at the Detroit Auto Show just one year after it rocked the boat with its debut and ambitious production timeline. We can already see where this is going.

Looking deeper into that crystal ball, we can already hear the sensationalist articles spouting off about how the Karma is proof of the ineptitude of the Not-So-Big Three — look what they were able to do in only one year after all! That'll be fun, but those headlines will probably also ignore the GM sourced Ecotec inline 4-cylinder under the hood, the outsourced assembly happening at Valmet Automotive, the asking price many times higher than other hybrids and the low volume production plan. It'll all be there, and the mainstream media will eat it up with a spoon. Click here for a full resolution image and bask in the glory of the hybrid sports cruiser that'll be displacing the Porsche Panamera, the Aston Martin Rapide, and the Maserati Quattroporte on all of Hollywood's most self-satisfied red carpets. [Fisker via Autoblog]

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