Legendary automotive designer Henrik Fisker is returning to the industry, with plans to unveil a new premium all-electric car in 2017. Speaking to Bloomberg,[1] Fisker said the vehicle would be a "spiritual successor" to the Fisker Karma hybrid launched in 2011. The Karma cost upwards of $100,000 and sold some 1,800 units in North America and Europe before the bankruptcy of its battery supplier ended production. The vehicle's manufacturer, Fisker Automotive, was later sold to Chinese auto-parts conglomerate Wanxiang.
Fisker, though, is starting afresh with a new company, Fisker Inc, building his next design. Unlike the Karma, the new car will be all-electric, with team behind the vehicle telling Bloomberg that it will have a range of more than 400 miles. That's greater than Tesla's upmarket Model S (which gets more than 300 miles on a single charge) and Chevy's mass-market Bolt (a range of 238 miles). Fisker told Bloomberg that the company has battery technologies "nobody else has," and that the car's final design will be "sporty and spacious" while still bearing the designer's "signature elements."
The Danish-born Fisker has previously designed some of the world's best-known luxury cars, including the Aston Martin V8 Vantage and DB9, and the BMW Z8. The plan for the new all-electric vehicle is to unveil the design some time next year, although there's no word on a possible production schedule. The company wants to follow in Tesla's footsteps by producing a second, mass-market vehicle after the launch of the first design. Fisker himself previously worked with Tesla, before the company sued him for allegedly stealing plans to use in the Karma. The case was later found in Fisker's favor.
References
- ^ Speaking to Bloomberg, (www.bloomberg.com)
