karma

Fisker Automotive has laid off workers as it tries to unlock more of the $529 million Department of Energy loan it's using to produce its vehicles.

So far, Fisker has received $193 million to build its plug-in hybrid sports car and retool a former GM plant in Wilmington, Del., scheduled to open this year. But Uncle Sam has put away its checkbook, putting a crimp in the California-based company's production plans, according to the Associated Press.

Fisker hasn't met requisite development and sales milestones, and until new terms are reached, the DOE has cut off additional funds. … Read more

Although there have been no reports of problems so far, Fisker is recalling 239 Karma plug-in hybrid sports cars due to a high-voltage battery problem that could result in a fire.

The problem with the luxury plug-in hybrid is that certain hose clamps may have been positioned incorrectly during assembly, which could cause a coolant leak near the battery compartment.

According to the the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration: "If coolant enters the battery compartment, an electrical short could occur possible resulting in a fire."

Fisker plans to notify customers, and dealerships will replace the high-voltage battery with … Read more

Less than three months on the market and the Fisker Karma is already getting high praise for being "green" and luxurious. Just last month, the near $100,000 plug-in hybrid was named "Luxury Car of the Year" by BBC Top Gear magazine.

Part of what makes the Karma so luxurious is the used interior material from Bridge of Weir. The EcoStandard and EcoSport models' seat, steering wheel, dash, door casings and center console trim are all wrapped in the Scottish company's locally produced "low carbon leather," Bridge of Weir said in a press … Read more

We drive the Volvo S60 T6, get features in Sync that Ford promised years ago, look forward to GM cars driving themselves, announce the EPA numbers for the Fisker Karma, and advise you not to pay more for a used car than a new one!

• Get your Ford Sync system update

• Put Siri on your Android phone in the car (virtually)

• GM has aftermarket box for self driving cars

• CNET review of the Volvo S60 T6 R-Design

• Many used cars selling for more than new!… Read more

At this point, Fisker Automotive has been showing off various incarnations of the Karma series hybrid sedan at various auto shows for about four years now. It's practically done at this point. Not wanting to show up at the 2011 International Auto Show in Frankfurt with the same song and dance, the automaker slapped a hatchback onto its mustachioed Karma and dubbed it the Fisker Surf.

This week, the Surf shows off its shooting brake design in a B-roll video released on the Web by Fisker. Check it out below. There's no music, but if you crank your … Read more

BMW will be supplying the engines for Fisker's next car.

Fisker Automotive announced today that it's contracted with BMW to supply engines, and a few other components, for its "Project Nina" vehicle.

BMW has committed to build "up to 100,000" turbocharged four-cylinder engines for the car per year.

The yet-to-be-officially-named model is expected to begin selling in the U.S. in 2013, going into production at a former GM plant in Delaware in 2012.

"Project Nina" is the follow-up plug-in hybrid sedan to the company's Fisker Karma four-door plug-in hybrid … Read more

GENEVA--Fisker Automotive plans to use its recently acquired plant in Delaware in part to build vehicles for other automakers.

The start-up automaker plans to use only one-third of an installed 300,000 units of capacity at a former General Motors plant in Wilmington, Del., for its vehicles, which will be built there in late 2012.

"We want to offer this manufacturing capacity to other OEMs," Fisker COO Bernhard Koehler told Automotive News on the sidelines of the Geneva auto show.

Fisker is spending $120 million on the Delaware plant and, within the next two years, will expand its … Read more

Nissan will build the next Smart Car, Mercedes offers in-car iPad tech, a tour of the Tesla factory, stop sign cameras are the latest gotcha, and we name our three favorite cars from the Paris Motor Show.

Union of Concerned Scientists' latest green car list (PDF)

Nissan to build next Smart Car for U.S.

Insider's tour of the new Tesla battery and motor plant

Car tech gets its own place in Android OS, market

Mercedes latest on market with in-car iPad adapter… Read more

It's been a long time coming, but Fisker is finally ramping up for production of its long-awaited Karma, and more recently, a full lineup of plug-ins over the next three years.

The carmaker officially debuted the 2012 Karma at the Paris Motor Show last week, along with its $88,000 price tag. Full production of the Karma will begin early next year in Finland, with customer deliveries promised in March. And not much longer after that, the start-up also plans to put its $528 million Department of Energy loan to good use and produce its more affordable Project Nina … Read more