Uploaded February 2019 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
Fisker Automotive raised well over a billion dollars in funding and even managed to put a car into production, but they no longer exist, at least not in their original form. Their run in the electric car business is rife with controversy and raised a ton of questions, but one stands above the rest; what happened to Fisker Automotive?
Fisker Automotive was established in August of 2007 from the ashes of Fisker Coachbuild. The Fisker Karma prototype was unveiled at the 2008 Detroit Auto show in January. The sedan caught the attention of the showgoers with its distinguishing styling, lofty performance claims, and forward-thinking technology.
Fisker debuted the Sunset hardtop convertible concept at the Detroit Auto Show in January. It’s essentially a Karma with a retractable top and two fewer doors. It also shares its aggressive timetable with the Karma. The company claimed that they’d have it ready by 2011 and buyers could reserve with a deposit. Instead of a mere $5,000, the minimum deposit was a whopping $25,000.
Fisker Automotive didn’t have a car to show in January this year, but they did break some news in regard to their supplier. A123 systems, a Michigan-based battery company, signed a multi-year deal to provide the power supply for the Karma. Fisker also received $115 million in additional funding, which was needed to access the larger $528 million loan.
The Surf, a wagon variant of the Karma, was show at the Frankfurt Auto Show in Germany. Fisker promised they’d be building it by 2013. Like the Sunset, they said customers could put deposits down on the car.
Once spearheading the green car revolution, the Karma Revero is now practically a fossil and finds itself playing a game it can’t possibly hope to win. It still has the same bugs it did when it launched despite a three year sabbatical-issues that a planned facelift probably won’t fix- and incompetent leadership. The thing that really puts the nail in the coffin, though, is the price. The promised $80,000 price point has now ballooned to $130,000, and can even break $150,000 with options. This puts it against the Porsche Panamera Turbo and Mercedes-Benz S63 AMG, leather-bound, heat-seeking missiles that blow the Revero out of the water. Forget 2019 for a second: The Tesla Model S rendered it obsolete a whole five years ago. Their new owner has pockets as deep as the Mariana Trench and a frenetic desire to rival Tesla. They can only hope that dumping millions of dollars into this cause works out in their favor this time around.
Fisker Automotive raised well over a billion dollars in funding and even managed to put a car into production, but they no longer exist, at least not in their original form. Their run in the electric car business is rife with controversy and raised a ton of questions, but one stands above the rest; what happened to Fisker Automotive?
Fisker Automotive was established in August of 2007 from the ashes of Fisker Coachbuild. The Fisker Karma prototype was unveiled at the 2008 Detroit Auto show in January. The sedan caught the attention of the showgoers with its distinguishing styling, lofty performance claims, and forward-thinking technology.
Fisker debuted the Sunset hardtop convertible concept at the Detroit Auto Show in January. It’s essentially a Karma with a retractable top and two fewer doors. It also shares its aggressive timetable with the Karma. The company claimed that they’d have it ready by 2011 and buyers could reserve with a deposit. Instead of a mere $5,000, the minimum deposit was a whopping $25,000.
Fisker Automotive didn’t have a car to show in January this year, but they did break some news in regard to their supplier. A123 systems, a Michigan-based battery company, signed a multi-year deal to provide the power supply for the Karma. Fisker also received $115 million in additional funding, which was needed to access the larger $528 million loan.
The Surf, a wagon variant of the Karma, was show at the Frankfurt Auto Show in Germany. Fisker promised they’d be building it by 2013. Like the Sunset, they said customers could put deposits down on the car.
Once spearheading the green car revolution, the Karma Revero is now practically a fossil and finds itself playing a game it can’t possibly hope to win. It still has the same bugs it did when it launched despite a three year sabbatical-issues that a planned facelift probably won’t fix- and incompetent leadership. The thing that really puts the nail in the coffin, though, is the price. The promised $80,000 price point has now ballooned to $130,000, and can even break $150,000 with options. This puts it against the Porsche Panamera Turbo and Mercedes-Benz S63 AMG, leather-bound, heat-seeking missiles that blow the Revero out of the water. Forget 2019 for a second: The Tesla Model S rendered it obsolete a whole five years ago. Their new owner has pockets as deep as the Mariana Trench and a frenetic desire to rival Tesla. They can only hope that dumping millions of dollars into this cause works out in their favor this time around.
