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We were captivated by the Karma plug-in hybrid when it was unveiled at the Detroit Auto Show earlier this month. Its curvaceous, aggressive design combined with its ability to go 50 miles without using any gas seems like a bargain at the projected starting price of $80,000. Fisker is hoping to deliver its first Karma to customers in the fourth quarter of 2009, but to do that they will first need to find a place to build the cars (and get the drivetrain sorted and figure out that batteries and…). Vic Doolan, director of retail development for Fisker, says the company is considering metro Detroit to handle production. The combination of unused capacity, close proximity of suppliers, and availability of experienced workers make Detroit an ideal location.

Those interested in the Karma and unconcerned about the vaporware accusations can pre-order one with a $1000 deposit, although the Signature Edition vehicles (the first 99 that will have the same features and color as the show car as well as a numbered and signed plaque), are all sold out. Customers who haven’t ordered yet can expect a delivery date in mid-2010.
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Tesla Motors can’t seem to keep itself out of the press, can it? The newest flare-up concerns rival Fisker and claims that the automaker has stolen trade secrets and copied design concepts. In a lawsuit filed Monday by Tesla, the carmaker accuses Henrik Fisker — whom the company had hired to design its WhiteStar sedan — of accepting the work to “gain access to confidential design information and trade secrets.” The company alleges that Fisker then used that knowledge to launch a competing vehicle, and believes Fisker has implemented its range-extended vehicle (or REV) technology in the recently introduced Karma. “I think it’s ironic that Fisker chose to name his car the Karma, when what he’s done is very bad karma,” said the company’s lawyer. Fisker wouldn’t comment on the case, then drove away silently when pressed.

source:engadget

You know how we love the electric cars around here, but internal combustion sure does sound sexy — a big V-8 literally brings the noise in a way the nearly-silent whir of an electric motor can’t hope to match. Well, it looks like the mad geniuses behind the $80,000 Fisker Karma plug-in hybrid have hit upon an appropriately high-tech solution: speakers placed inside and out that allow drivers to give their rides any sound they want, including one described as “like something between a Formula One car and a jet plane.” Interesting, to be sure — but seeing as the Karma can hit 125mph and go from 0-60 in six seconds, we’d be happier if that rig just screamed at people to get out of the left lane.

source:engadget.com