The CEO of Fisker, Mr. Henrik Fisker himself, announced that production of the companies plug-in EREV Karma will be delayed slightly. Though the delay does not comes as a surprise, its certainly a disappointment for some interested buyers.
The company had previously stated that the Karma would reach production by the end of this month. However, delays in the design and engineering process have made that goal unobtainable. It's not really surprising that the Karma will be delayed. The company itself was founded only two years ago and getting a production ready EREV to market in that brief time frame seemed to be impossible from the start.
According to Henrik Fisker, who spoke at the L.A. Auto Show yesterday, the new target date for the release of the Fisker Karma is September of 2010. Setting up a dealer network for the vehicle has likely added to delays. Fisker now has 42 dealers set up within the U.S. and approximate 100 dealers throughout Europe.
The Karma is a vehicle that looks very promising to many on paper. Its basic EREV design is similar to the Chevy Volt. Its a series hybrid vehicle sporting a 22 kWh battery and a high output 260 horsepower GM Ecotec 4 cylinder engine. The vehicles sporty looks are complemented by its performance. The vehicle is capable of reaching 60 mph in under 6 seconds. In terms of efficiency, the Karma can travel up to 50 miles under electric power only, offering numbers slightly better than the Volt.
For those interested in the Karma, the already long wait will simply be a longer. The Karma should hit showrooms around the time that both the Leaf and Volt come to market. The battle will be interesting.
Source: AutoBlogGreen
