The sexy-sleek Fisker Karma electric-first hybrid sedan has been floating around the auto show circuit for a few years now but the reality of seeing a Fisker on the open road is about to go way up as production for the cutting-edge luxury sedan has officially begun in Finland.
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When the Fisker Karma hits the market as early as April 2011, it will be the first true luxury sedan available in the US market that offers emission-free driving without the limits of an electric vehicle. The Karma features an electric drivetrain that will travel around 50 miles purely on the electric power but when the battery runs low, unlike the Tesla Model S that will also offer emission-free driving, the Fisker Karma has a gasoline engine that can keep the car going until the next time you can charge the battery.
Production of the Fisker Karma began today at Valmet Automotive's plant in Uusikaupunki, Finland. Valmet is best known for the fact that they have been building the Porsche Boxter since 1997 and the Porsche Cayman since 2005. Valmet also currently builds the Th!nk City car along with the Fisker and the Porsches, while building cars for Saab, Opel and Renault in the past.
The Fisker Karma is expected to carry a price tag in the neighborhood of $88,000 – making it more expensive than even the highest-range Tesla Model S (the 300-mile Model S is $77,000) but the Fisker has the advantage of the range extending gasoline engine so with the Karma, you can feel good about driving emission free while not having to deal with “range anxiety”.
The California-based automaker expects to deliver 7,000 Fisker Karma sedans in 2011 with the Delaware-built Fisker Nina hitting the market next year with a more cost effective price tag of just $39,000. If the Nina is anything like the Karma as far as the fit and finish, Fisker could become a very real competitor for the likes of the Nissan Leaf and Chevrolet Volt.
Source: Automotive News
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