Autoblog

Click above for high-res gallery of the Fisker Karma

A few months back, Tesla Motors sued Fisker Automotive for allegedly stealing information related to the production of its upcoming plug-in electric sedan named Whitestar and using it to develop its series-hybird, the Karma. Yesterday, a judge ruled in favor of Fisker Automotive by allowing the case to go into arbitration outside the courtroom, which was apparently part of the original agreement between Tesla and Henrik Fisker in the first place. It appears that Tesla went outside that original agreement by bringing forth its lawsuit in the first place, though Tesla may have considered that contract void as the original lawsuit alleged that it was signed merely to gain access to confidential information.

Although the arbitration is to be handled outside of court, the judge has scheduled a management conference this August, perhaps to be sure that negotiations are moving along. This is good news for Fisker, which is currently working to get its Karma PHEV sedan to market by the fourth-quarter of 2009.

[Source: CNET]

Click above for more Fisker-supplied spy shots of the Karma

Isn't it fitting that Fisker Automotive's upcoming series-hybrid sports sedan is named Karma?. After having commissioned Fisker to help design its second product, the Whitestar sedan, Tesla Motors sued Fisker claiming it stole trade secrets that were then used on the Karma. Following that lawsuit, Tesla was then sued by Magna, one of its former transmission suppliers, Tesla's suit against Fisker came several weeks after Tesla themselves were sued by Magna Powetrain who had been contracted to develop a new transmission for the Roadster and now Fisker is slapping the upstart electric car company with its own arbitration suit. That's karma for you, right there.

Fisker will attempt to first derail Tesla's original lawsuit by seeking to have it moved from San Mateo, CA to Orange County, after which it will then try to prove that Tesla is attempting to divert attention away from its delayed all-electric Roadster by suing Fisker. To that end, Henrik Fisker himself called the whole mess "ridiculous" and referred to Tesla's behaviour as "sour grapes". An arbitrator will likely determine whether he's right or not, but until then we lowly consumers must await ramped up production of the Tesla Roadster and the eventual arrival of the Fisker Karma. Thanks for the tip, Doug!


[Source: CNET News]

Click above for high-res gallery of the Fisker Karma

Fisker Automotive may be knee-deep in a legal battle with electric car pioneer Tesla Motors, but the fledgling automaker is still committed to producing its stunning Karma plug-in electric vehicle by Q4 2009. Henrik Fisker and crew have received so much negative press regarding the pending lawsuit that it issued a press release to ensure prospective buyers that that the Karma was on its way, but also to explain where its PHEV technology originates.

Fisker calls the lawsuit "nonsense," and points out that his design company, Fisker Coachbuild, has non-exlusive design contracts with many automakers. The press release, which is available after the jump, shows that Fisker is getting its PHEV tech from a company called Quantum Technologies, which has also created electric vehicles for the U.S. Armed Forces. The release doesn't specifically address Tesla's contention that Fisker stole electric vehicle design secrets, but then again it's probably not a good idea to discuss pending litigation in any real detail.

It seems as though Tesla Motors is just a little peeved that the Karma's design is superior to the one Fisker Coachbuild designed for its upcoming WhiteStar sedan, which we're hoping to see soon so we can know what all the fuss is about.


[Source: Fisker Automotive]

Click the image above for a high-res pic of the Fisker Hybrid Sedan concept.

Henrik Fisker is a car designer. It's not his fault that his designs -- some of the finest -- have clothed some of the thirstiest (and beautiful) cars. But design is a portable endeavor, and Fisker has transferred his métier over to the frugal side of things. The car you see above is undeniably Fisker, with some Maserati Gran Turismo thrown into the mix up front and a healthy dose of Artega out back, gracefully sculpted sides in between. We like.

The sedan doesn't have a name yet, it's simply referred to as a premium sports sedan, and it's a plug-in hybrid. Engineered by ex-BMW man Thomas Fritz, the car's battery pack is in the middle of the car for better dynamics. Supposedly, it will have a 50-mile range running on electricity alone, and with a gas or diesel engine in place, the car can go 620 miles (though Fisker doesn't yet say how that system would work). Additionally, it will get 100 MPG, so the word goes. The car is being developed by Quantum Technologies.

Irony of ironies that a man associated with premium guzzlers could lead the way in premium green designs. Fisker's new baby will debut at the Detroit Auto Show in January. According to the company, it will go on sale in late 2009 with a price tag of $80,000. Follow the jump to read the full press release.

[Source: Fisker]

With a little help from hybrid and green tech specialist Quantum Technologies, Fisker is set to enter the premium green marketplace. Would that be... jade? All kidding aside, the press release also mentions that we will also be seeing the birth of a new company, Fisker Automotive, which is a joint effort between Fisker Coachbuild and Quantum Technologies. The first fruit of this project is set to debut in Detroit next January. Fisker is hoping to offer a sub-$100,000 plug-in hybrid that will feature styling by Henrik Fisker himself. And that should make mouths water. Fisker is the man responsible for the BMW Z8, Aston Martin DB9 and V8 Vantage, as well as the Fisker Latigo CS and Tramonto. While those super premium coachbuilt cars are extremely limited production vehicles, Fisker Automotive hopes to move as many as 15,000 of these new hybrids annually.

The new plug-in's hybrid technology will be known as Quantum Drive, and it was developed by Quantum Technologies "exclusively" for Fisker Automotive. The release says that the Quantum Drive chassis will allow Fisker to design "innovative luxury cars with uncompromised proportions." They are referring to the new vehicles as ECO-CHIC, which is kind of catchy. What the release doesn't make clear is whether this new vehicle will be a sports car, GT, sedan, or pickup truck. While we doubt that last one, we really don't know what shape the final product will take until we can get some pics, sketches or clarification from Fisker. There is a rather slinky looking sports car on the company's website (seen above), but we're not sure if that's the vehicle in question or not. Maybe we'll have to wait until January like the rest of you.

Full press release after the jump.

[Source: Fisker]