Make a car desirable enough, and people will buy it whatever is powering the wheels.
That's the theory anyway, but in a world of unease over the suitability of electric cars, the Henrik Fisker has taken the more comfortable, usable route to creating an electric car: The range-extended Fisker Karma.
When the EPA-rated 32-mile electric range is depleted, a 2.0-liter, turbocharged gasoline engine kicks in to generate power, keeping the electric motors running. The $102,000 Karma gets 52 MPGe under electric power and 20 MPG in range-sustaining gasoline mode.
Full review: 2012 Fisker Karma
We've been covering the Karma for quite a while now, so to find out more, check out the links below. The list will be updated periodically. Look for the "New!" tag to read the latest articles, and the links to the top of each catagory are the most recent.
You might want to take a look at page 2, too--our coverage of fires, financial issues, furloughs and failures is filling up fast, as Fisker Automotive appears to be going through its death throes.
Driving the Karma
So what's the 2012 Fisker Karma like when you're behind the wheel? Pretty good actually, and we've driven it a few times now to bring you our impressions. Click on any of the links below to go to the relevant test drive.
- 2012 Fisker Karma: Brief Drive Report
- 2012 Fisker Karma Electric Car: Quick Drive Review [Video]
- 2012 Fisker Karma Electric Car First Drive Impressions: Video
Buying, owning and sales
The Karma hasn't had an easy time coming to market, but now drivers can experience the Karma for themselves. You can read about the Karma's pricing, or read about the company's battery glitch fixes by clicking here. For more information, there's a wealth of links below.
- How Many Karmas Has Fisker Built So Far? We Say 2,000-Plus
- Penske Automotive Signs To Become 2012 Fisker Karma Dealer
- Fisker Focuses On Karma Sales, Delaware Factory In Hibernation
- Fisker Emphasizes Its Focus On Product Quality
- Was The 2012 Fisker Karma Released Before It Was Ready?
- Fisker Recalls 239 Karma Electric Sedans To Fix Battery Pack
- Volt-Style Battery Nightmare Before Christmas Haunts Fisker
- Fisker Promises 15,000 Karmas For 2012, Changes Story On Production Delays
- Fisker Karma Electric-Car Production Ramps Up, But Slowly
- Dream About Ordering A 2012 Fisker Karma? We Show You How It's Done (Video)
- Fisker Karma Customer Deliveries: Maybe October, Or November?
- First 2012 Fisker Karma Electric Car Delivered, Finally, To Investor Ray Lane
- First Fisker Karma To DiCaprio, 3,000 Orders Behind Him, CEO Says
- 2011 Fisker Karma Plug-In Hybrid: Sales Now To Start In July
- 2011 Fisker Karma 'Final Pricing' Goes Up Again, To $95,900
- Waiting For Fisker: First Factory-Built 2011 Karma At Paris Motor Show
Karma economy
Range-extended electric vehicles should have great economy, right? Well, not necessarily, and Fisker wasn't best pleased at the official EPA ratings--you could say the EPA was giving them bad Karma. Also, the Karma is apparently a subcompact too--no, really. For more, click the links below.
- 2012 Fisker Karma Owners Average 150 MPG, Company Says (New!)
- 2012 Fisker Karma Gets Good News From Germany: 50 Miles Of Range. Yes, But...
- Plug-In Hybrid MPGs: Is Parallel Or Range-Extended Better?
- Electric-Car Range Extender Engines: OK Now, Can Do Better
2012 Fisker Karma EcoSport
Fisker financials, failures, fires and furloughs
There's no hiding that Fisker has had one or two problems. It started with problems acquiring DoE loans, continued when Fisker got sued, and has taken a nasty turn with inquries over a fire involving one of the cars. Those issues have sadly continued over the last year or so, with poor reviews from Consumer Reports, and the destruction of several Karmas in the wake of Hurricane Sandy.
Worse still, Fisker appears to be on its last legs. With production stalled following battery supplier A123's bankruptcy, Henrik Fisker's departure from the company bearing his name and the redundancies of most of the workforce, the Fisker Karma might not be long for this world.
You can see further detailed reports in The Car Connection's 'Fisker, An Influential Disaster' and Motor Authority's 'Fisker Automotive: The Final Flameout'.
Financials...
- Fisker Bid By Geely Deemed 'Too Risky' Due To U.S. Government Loans (New!)
- Fisker Drops Lawsuit Against Insurer Over 300 Flooded Karmas (New!)
- 338 Fisker Karmas Wrecked By Sandy Waiting For Recall Parts (New!)
- Fisker Insurer Won't Pay For 300 Flood-Ruined Karmas; Lawsuit Follows (New!)
- Will Fisker Ask For Rest Of its Stalled DoE Low-Interest Loan?
- Fisker Karma Assembly Stalled Til Bankrupt Battery Maker A123 Is Sold
- More 2012 Fisker Karma Woe: Consumer Reports Review Savages Plug-In Hybrid
- Tesla CEO Gets More Stock Options, Fisker Seeks More Cash
- Senators Question DoE Loans To Fisker, Cite Qatar Investment
- 2012 Fisker Karma Plug-In Is Real, But Will Company Survive?
- Fisker's Federal Fiasco: Loans, 20-MPG Electric Cars, Shoddy Reporting
- Fisker Automotive Raising $200 Million At $2.2 Billion Valuation
- Luxury Hybrid Maker Fisker Automotive Raises Extra $100 Million
Fires...
- Sandy Flood Fire Followup: Fisker Karma Battery Not At Fault
- Sandy Carnage: Fisker Karmas Submerged In Salt Water Burn At Port
- Fisker Fire Cause: Not Exhaust, Battery, Or Electric Drive, Company Says
- Fisker Karma Fire Due To Faulty Cooling Fan, Recall Underway, Factory Says
- Second Fisker Karma Fire Casts Fresh Doubt On Plug-In Hybrid
- NHTSA Opens “Field Inquiry” Into Texas 2012 Fisker Karma Fire
- Fisker Karma Fire: Owner, Company, Analyst Trade Accusations
- Dead Fisker Karmas: One May Be A Fluke, But Is Two A Trend?
Furloughs, failures, finality?
- Fisker Lays Off Most Of Its Employees; Is This The Final Blow? (New!)
- Is Fisker Automotive About To Declare Bankruptcy? (New!)
- Fisker Puts U.S. Workforce On Temporary Leave To Save Cash (New!)
- Why Fisker Left Fisker: Would Have Been 'Wrong To Stay' (New!)
- Update: Co-Founder Henrik Fisker Leaves Fisker Automotive, Struggling Electric-Car Firm (New!)
2013 Fisker Surf
Further Fiskers
How do you follow the Karma? Not with the Sutra, that's for sure. Instead, you preview the Surf, which then changes its name to Atlantic. More of the same, but in a smaller--and hopefully more economical--package.
- Fisker Gets $100 Million More In Funding To Develop Atlantic
- Fisker Atlantic Unveiled, But What Are Fisker's Chances? (Video)
- Fisker Atlantic: Video, Photos From New York Auto Show Launch
- Next Fisker Model: Wagon-Crossover At Frankfurt This Fall? (Video)
- New Fisker Karma Based Plug-In Hybrid Set For 2011 Frankfurt Auto Show?
Karmas in the media
Fate giveth with one hand, and taketh away with the other... that's why the Karma was able to win over notoriously fickle Top Gear to win their accolade for luxury car of the year, but then suffered the ignominy of Canadian pop puppet Justin Bieber becoming a customer. You win some, you lose some...
- Win A Fisker Karma In $500 Raffle, Help Green Foundation (New!)
- Fisker Karma-Based Destino: 2013 Detroit Auto Show Live Photos (New!)
- Destino--The Corvette-Powered Fisker Karma: Detroit Auto Show (New!)
- Fisker Karma Boosts Hollywood Image With Cameo In Thriller
- Justin Bieber Pimps His Fisker Karma, Gets Police Attention
- 2012 Fisker Karma In 3 Days? eBay Seller Wants It Gone--For Charity
- 2012 Fisker Karma Lands A Role On 'Two And A Half Men'
- Fisker Karma In Monaco: Winner Of Owner Royalty Award?
We'll be sure to keep updating this page as and when new Fisker news lands, so keep checking back for more on the Karma.
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