Fisker's remains on the auction block this week

How will a federal government that is partially shut down sell an automaker that is all-but-shut-down? We'll find out Friday when the Department of Energy starts an auction for what is left of Fisker's assets, according to TheDetroitBureau.com. The DOE said last month that auctioning off the $168-million remainder of Fisker's loan obligation was the, "best possible recovery for the taxpayer."

Fisker is not yet technically bankrupt, but the company last built a car over a year ago. Despite Fisker's problems, there is still something of value there, including plans for the Atlantic plug-in hybrid and an old General Motors plant in Delaware. Potential bidders should be aware that Fisker owes $1 million in local taxes in the state, according to Delaware Online.

The deadline to declare yourself an interested bidder passed on Monday. Last month, an offer to take control of what's left of Fisker was sent to the DOE by German investors Ingo Voigt and Fritz Nol. Given the upcoming auction, we have to assume that deal was not accepted. TheDetroitBureau.com lists Bob Lutz, Wanxiang and B456 as entities that have previously expressed interest in Fisker, but we'll have to wait until the end of the week to see who – if anyone – snaps up the company's assets.