72-539: Henrik Fisker (born 10 August 1963) is a Danish automotive designer and entrepreneur based in Los Angeles, California , US. He is best known as the founder of Fisker Automotive and Fisker Inc , and as a designer of luxury cars. After working at BMW, Ford, and Aston Martin, Fisker founded Fisker Automotive in 2007. The company failed to meet production deadlines despite significant federal and private investment. Fisker resigned in 2013. The New York Times described
144-410: A big automaker collapsed, which led it to its bankruptcy. Fisker claims that it is planning to repay its creditors during the bankruptcy proceedings. On 14 April 2008, Tesla Motors filed a lawsuit against Fisker Coachbuild, Fisker and Koehler, contending that they had fraudulently agreed to a design contract in 2007 only to gain access to confidential information, before announcing a competing vehicle,
216-633: A deal with BMW for them to supply turbocharged 2.0 liter four cylinder engines for the Atlantic, with the car using a similar plug in hybrid system as the Karma. By February 2012, Fisker had established 45 dealerships in the US and three in Canada. By March 2012, the company had built over 2,450 vehicles, with over 2000 cars delivered to customers by the end of 2012. Fisker Automotive distributed vehicles through
288-781: A degree in transportation design from the Art Center College of Design in Vevey, Switzerland , in 1989. In 1989, Fisker began working at BMW Technik , the company's advanced design studio in Munich. His first project he collaborated was the E1 electric concept car , designed by Mark Clarke. From 1992 to 1997, he refined the Z07 concept car, which would become the BMW Z8 roadster, produced from 1999 to 2003. The car combined design elements from
360-481: A heavy discount. On November 22, 2013, Fisker filed its Chapter 11 bankruptcy case. Concurrently, on November 23, 2013, Fisker agreed, subject to bankruptcy court approval, to be acquired by Hybrid, owned by Hong Kong billionaire, Richard Li. At the last moment, though, Chinese parts supplier Wanxiang Group submitted a competing bid of US$ 24.75 million, supported by the Official Creditors' Committee in
432-538: A historical context; the historic German-Danish struggle regarding the status of the Duchy of Schleswig vis-à-vis a Danish nation-state . It describes people of Danish nationality , both in Denmark and elsewhere–most importantly, ethnic Danes in both Denmark proper and the former Danish Duchy of Schleswig . Excluded from this definition are people from the formerly Norway, Faroe Islands , and Greenland ; members of
504-455: A modern nation identified with the country of Denmark. This connection may be ancestral, legal, historical, or cultural. Danes generally regard themselves as a nationality and reserve the word "ethnic" for the description of recent immigrants , sometimes referred to as "new Danes". The contemporary Danish national identity is based on the idea of "Danishness", which is founded on principles formed through historical cultural connections and
576-499: A prominent part in the process. Two defining cultural criteria of being Danish were speaking the Danish language and identifying Denmark as a homeland. The ideology of Danishness has been politically important in the formulation of Danish political relations with the EU , which has been met with considerable resistance in the Danish population, and in recent reactions in the Danish public to
648-660: A recall of its battery by supplier A123 systems in December 2011, followed by a second recall in March 2012, and eventually A123 Systems' bankruptcy in August 2012. In addition to production stopping for over five months, with no date announced to recommence, the planned production of the second model, the Fisker Atlantic, was postponed, together with the cessation of development of the new model. In February 2012, Tom LaSorda
720-685: A royalty to GM for each door handle in the Karma, which was much cheaper than designing its own door handles. However, the A123 battery failure and its resulting recall, and the eventual bankruptcy of the battery supplier, led to significant problems and added cost to the manufacture of the Karma model, finally resulting in Fisker's bankruptcy. In 2008, Fisker estimated 15,000 cars per year would be assembled by Valmet Automotive in Uusikaupunki , Finland . Manufacturing eventually commenced in 2011 but by
792-456: A share in government, and in an attempt to avert the sort of bloody revolution occurring elsewhere in Europe, Frederick VII gave in to the demands of the citizens. A new constitution emerged, separating the powers and granting the franchise to all adult males, as well as freedom of the press, religion, and association. The king became head of the executive branch . Danishness ( danskhed )
SECTION 10
#1732798808240864-513: A short wheelbase hardtop convertible version of the Karma called the Sunset , with the intent of series production. At the 2011 Frankfurt Auto Show , Fisker showed the Surf, a concept model based on the Karma with a station wagon bodystyle. According to Fisker this bodystyle had been planned from the beginning of design work on the Karma. Fisker described the Surf as a "merger of a sports car with
936-531: A single pen-on-paper sketch of the Force 1 in December 2015, he received a letter from Aston Martin claiming the design was too similar to their DB10 and demanding that he either change the design or not display the car at the auto show. Aston Martin had previously sued Fisker in 2015 over his car design for the Thunderbolt. That case was settled after Fisker agreed not to move forward with the vehicle. Following
1008-584: A station wagon" and said he was inspired by cars such as the Jensen Interceptor and Lamborghini Espada . In August 2012 Fisker announced that the Sunset and the Surf were both on hold, as the company had decided to focus on the planned mid-sized Atlantic sedan. The Atlantic was intended to be Fisker's entry into the midsize sedan segment, similar in size to cars such as the Audi A5 . Originally under development as "Project Nina", Fisker had reached
1080-532: A traditional dealer network and partnered with five importers: GP Supercars (Merano, Italy), Nellemann (Copenhagen, Denmark); the Emil Frey Group (Zurich, Switzerland); BD Otomotive (Istanbul, Turkey) and Al-Futtaim Group (Middle East and North Africa). Fisker Automotive used to retain core competencies, such as design, engineering and marketing, in house, but outsourced manufacturing of its first vehicle Fisker Karma. Fisker's outsourcing methods allowed
1152-763: Is backed by private equity firm Apollo Global Management . On 30 October 2020, Fisker Inc. officially closed its merger with Spartan Energy Acquisition Corp. The company is publicly listed and traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker (NYSE:FSR). On 28 June 2021, Fisker stock was added to the Russell 3000 Index . On 17 June 2024, Fisker Inc. filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in Delaware, listing liabilities at between $ 100 million to $ 500 million and assets between $ 500 million and $ 1 billion. The company stated that possible deal talks with
1224-532: Is now northern Germany . The political and economic defeat ironically sparked what is known as the Danish Golden Age during which a Danish national identity first came to be fully formed. The Danish liberal and national movements gained momentum in the 1830s, and after the European revolutions of 1848 Denmark became a constitutional monarchy on 5 June 1849. The growing bourgeoisie had demanded
1296-401: Is the concept on which contemporary Danish national and ethnic identity is based. It is a set of values formed through the historic trajectory of the formation of the Danish nation. The ideology of Danishness emphasizes the notion of historical connection between the population and the territory of Denmark and the relation between the thousand-year-old Danish monarchy and the modern Danish state,
1368-643: Is typically not based on ethnic heritage. Denmark has been inhabited by various Germanic peoples since ancient times, including the Angles , Cimbri , Jutes , Herules , Teutones and others. The first mention of Danes within Denmark is on the Jelling Rune Stone , which mentions the conversion of the Danes to Christianity by Harald Bluetooth in the 10th century. Between c. 960 and
1440-685: The Fisker Karma , which was announced at the North American International Auto Show in January 2008. Tesla's suit claimed that the design work done for the Model S by Fisker Coachbuild was substandard, and that Fisker diverted its best ideas to the Karma. In early 2009, the suit was settled in Fisker's favor and Tesla was ordered to pay Fisker more than US$ 1.1 million in legal fees. Fisker's problems started with
1512-651: The Force 1 V10 car in 2016. Production began at VLF's Auburn Hills manufacturing facility in August 2016, with approximately 50 of the two-seaters scheduled to be manufactured. Only five cars were actually produced. In 2016, Fisker launched Fisker Inc. The company's only vehicle is the Fisker Ocean , which began production in 2022. The first deliveries of the launch edition, the Ocean One, occurred in May 2023. As of 2022,
SECTION 20
#17327988082401584-615: The Ford Motor Company in 2001, where he served as design director at Aston Martin . He was in charge of the production design of the Aston Martin DB9 (in production from 2004 to 2016), bringing in elements from the history of Aston Martin cars. The DB9 was available as both a coupe and a convertible. Fisker also designed the Aston Martin V8 Vantage (in production from 2005 to 2018). It was named
1656-588: The German minority; and members of other ethnic minorities. Importantly, since its formulation, Danish identity has not been linked to a particular racial or biological heritage, as many other ethno-national identities have. N. F. S. Grundtvig , for example, emphasized the Danish language and the emotional relation to and identification with the nation of Denmark as the defining criteria of Danishness. This cultural definition of ethnicity has been suggested to be one of
1728-666: The Kingdom of Norway , which included the territories of Norway , Iceland and the Faroese Islands . Olaf's mother, Margrethe I , united Norway, Sweden and Denmark into the Kalmar Union . In 1523, Sweden won its independence, leading to the dismantling of the Kalmar Union and the establishment of Denmark–Norway . Denmark–Norway grew wealthy during the 16th century, largely because of the increased traffic through
1800-702: The New Testament into Danish ; it became an instant best-seller. Those who had traveled to Wittenberg in Saxony and come under the influence of the teachings of Luther and his associates included Hans Tausen , a Danish monk in the Order of St John Hospitallers . In the 17th century Denmark–Norway colonized Greenland . After a failed war with the Swedish Empire , the Treaty of Roskilde in 1658 removed
1872-746: The Western United States or the Midwestern United States . California has the largest population of people of Danish descent in the United States. Notable Danish communities in the United States are located in Solvang, California , and Racine, Wisconsin , but these populations are not considered to be Danes for official purposes by the Danish government , and heritage alone can not be used to claim Danish citizenship, as it can in some European nations. According to
1944-620: The Øresund . The Crown of Denmark could tax the traffic, because it controlled both sides of the Sound at the time. The Reformation , which originated in the German lands in the early 16th century from the ideas of Martin Luther (1483–1546), had a considerable impact on Denmark. The Danish Reformation started in the mid-1520s. Some Danes wanted access to the Bible in their own language. In 1524, Hans Mikkelsen and Christiern Pedersen translated
2016-428: The " Solyndra of the electric car industry" and a "debacle". Fisker resigned as chairman from Fisker Automotive in March 2013, after the company failed to meet a series of production deadlines. Later that year, the company declared voluntary bankruptcy. Assets of Fisker Automotive were sold at a bankruptcy auction in 2014 to Chinese automotive parts firm Wanxiang for $ 149.2 million. In September 2015, Fisker Automotive
2088-416: The 19th-century national romantic idea of "the people" ( folk ), a view of Danish society as homogeneous and socially egalitarian as well as strong cultural ties to other Scandinavian nations. As a concept, det danske folk (the Danish people) played an important role in 19th-century ethnic nationalism and refers to self-identification rather than a legal status. Use of the term is most often restricted to
2160-479: The 2006 Census, there were 200,035 Canadians with Danish background , 17,650 of whom were born in Denmark. Canada became an important destination for the Danes during the post war period. At one point, a Canadian immigration office was to be set up in Copenhagen . In Greenland , a self-governing territory under Danish sovereignty , there are approximately 6,348 Danish Greenlanders making up roughly 11% of
2232-763: The Fisker Karma. Both the Tesla and Fisker vehicles in question were designed as serial hybrid cars, with a gas engine powering a generator that charges a battery to power the electric motor, and both were initially planned for delivery in 2010. The lawsuit sought to prevent Fisker from using Tesla design documents, along with a return of the money from the Tesla contract, plus punitive damages. Fisker filed for arbitration in May 2008. An arbitrator ruled in their favour in November 2008, finding "overwhelming" evidence showing that Fisker did not do anything wrong. Subsequently, Tesla
Henrik Fisker - Misplaced Pages Continue
2304-655: The Fisker logo and trademarks. Wanxiang Group then transformed the assets of Fisker Automotive into a new company named Karma Automotive , thus launching the Karma Revero plug-in hybrid car based on the Fisker Karma. Henrik Fisker would later start another electric vehicle company named Fisker Inc. in 2016 with the Fisker logo and trademarks. The Karma was a plug-in hybrid luxury sports sedan produced by Fisker Automotive and manufactured at Valmet Automotive in Finland. After missing its initial late 2009 launch, and after
2376-613: The January 2016 auto show debut of the Force 1, it was clear that the vehicle was not similar to the DB10. Aston Martin subsequently stopped threatening to interfere with the development of the Force 1, and the matter was resolved in April 2016. Fisker is married to Geeta Gupta-Fisker, who is the co-founder and CFO of Fisker Inc. Danes Danes ( Danish : danskere , pronounced [ˈtænskɐɐ] ), or Danish people , are an ethnic group and nationality native to Denmark and
2448-538: The Ocean had 63,000 preorders. Only 10,000 were built, with less than half delivered. On 8 July 2020, Fisker announced the completion of a US$ 50 million Series C financing round funded by Moore Strategic Ventures, the private investment arm of Louis Bacon . On 13 July 2020, Fisker announced that Fisker Inc. would offer an initial public offering on the New York Stock Exchange through a merger with special-purpose acquisition company Spartan Energy Acquisition Corp., which
2520-644: The areas of the Scandinavian peninsula from Danish control, thus establishing the boundaries between Norway, Denmark, and Sweden that exist to this day. In the centuries after this loss of territory, the populations of the Scanian lands , who had previously been considered Danish, came to be fully integrated as Swedes . In the early 19th century, Denmark suffered a defeat in the Napoleonic Wars ; Denmark lost control over Norway and territories in what
2592-719: The assets of Fisker after a three-day auction against Hybrid with a bid of $ 149.2 million, with bidding starting at $ 55 million, significantly more than the previous $ 24.75 million bid, and significantly higher than the $ 25 million Hybrid Technology LLC paid the Department of Energy for a $ 164 million loan note. On top of the $ 25 million, the DOE also recouped $ 28 million from Fisker for a total of $ 53 million recovered of its $ 192 million loan. Following Fisker Automotive's structured bankruptcy auction in February 2014, Henrik Fisker retained
2664-473: The business soon gave way to Fisker Automotive, a true automobile manufacturer. In 2009, Fisker mentioned plans for another plug-in hybrid, a "high-volume vehicle for a lower price", subject to getting a U.S. Department of Energy loan to build about 100,000 vehicles annually in the United States. On April 14, 2008, Tesla Motors filed a lawsuit against Fisker Automotive, alleging they stole Tesla's technology and were using it to develop their own hybrid car,
2736-484: The cars burned, because six to eight feet of seawater caused a short circuit in a vehicle control unit in one Karma, and high winds spread the resulting fire to 15 others. The company said that its lithium-ion battery was not at fault. Insurer XL Insurance America initially denied the roughly US$ 30 million loss claim and was subsequently sued by Fisker in New York State Supreme Court. The case
2808-410: The case. Wanxiang had earlier lost out to Hybrid in bidding for purchase of the government's loan to Fisker. Wanxiang owns A123 Systems LLC, Fisker's former battery supplier, and Fisker argued that Wanxiang's conduct was partly responsible for Fisker's business failure. As part of its bid, Wanxiang proposed restarting production of the Karma. Wanxiang received court approval on February 18, 2014, to buy
2880-435: The company a 2–3 year period of development instead of the typical 5 years and at a cost of US$ 333 million instead of $ 1 billion, and claimed that it could make a profit from selling just 15,000 cars. Fisker used to save significant development costs by using pre-engineered components developed by other car companies whenever possible, such as the door handle mechanism which was a General Motors part; Fisker Automotive just paid
2952-431: The company as the " Solyndra of the electric car industry" and a "debacle". The company's federal loan was suspended in 2011; the government recovered some of the invested funds, but nevertheless took a $ 139 million loss. In February 2014, Fisker Automotive's Karma vehicle design, tooling, and a manufacturing facility in Delaware were purchased by Chinese auto parts conglomerate Wanxiang Group . In 2016, Wanxiang renamed
Henrik Fisker - Misplaced Pages Continue
3024-504: The company as the " Solyndra of the electric car industry" and a "debacle". He is currently the CEO of Fisker Inc., which he co-founded with his wife in 2016; the company filed for bankruptcy in 2024. Fisker was born in Allerød , Denmark. As a young boy he became interested in cars after seeing a Maserati Bora on the highway, and soon started sketching designs in notebooks. He graduated with
3096-668: The company raised over $ 1 billion from private investors. In September 2009, Fisker Automotive was awarded a $ 528 million loan guarantee by the United States Department of Energy (DOE). The automaker was one of four recipients of the Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing Loan Program , to encourage the domestic manufacture of electric cars. The funds were to be used to develop the Karma, as well as an affordable family-size plug-in hybrid car. The loan facility
3168-559: The company's past with a modern look, paying homage to the BMW 507 (produced from 1956 to 1959). Fisker also worked on the design of BMW's first SUV , a mid-size luxury crossover introduced in 1999, the X5 . From 1999 to 2001, Fisker was the president and chief executive officer of Designworks , a BMW industrial design studio headquartered in Newbury Park, California . Fisker left BMW for
3240-556: The coolest car of the year and the best sounding car of the year by Top Gear in 2005. The Vantage is the best selling Aston Martin of all time. The extent of Fisker's involvement in designing both the DB9 and V8 Vantage has been disputed, however, with former director of design at Aston Martin Ian Callum saying the two cars were largely designed under his watch before Fisker joined the company. From September 2001 to August 2003, Fisker
3312-535: The deadline for repayment on the loan, which was originally approved as a $ 529 million loan guarantee. On 4 January 2016, Fisker filed a suit against Aston Martin and three of its executives for US$ 100 million in damages for civil extortion, claiming that his former employer was trying to prevent him from unveiling his new luxury sports car hybrid, the VLF Force 1 V10 , at the 2016 North American International Auto Show. The complaint claimed that after Fisker released
3384-498: The death of Canute the Great in 1035, England broke away from Danish control. Canute's nephew Sweyn Estridson (1020–74) re-established strong royal Danish authority and built a good relationship with the archbishop of Bremen , at that time the archbishop of all Scandinavia . Over the next centuries, the Danish empire expanded throughout the southern Baltic coast. Under the 14th century king Olaf II , Denmark acquired control of
3456-566: The early 980s, Bluetooth established a kingdom in the lands of the Danes, stretching from Jutland to Scania. Around the same time, he received a visit from a German missionary who, by surviving an ordeal by fire according to legend, convinced Harold to convert to Christianity . The following years saw the Danish Viking expansion , which incorporated Norway and England into the Danish North Sea Empire . After
3528-463: The equity investors as a senior creditor since they purchased the Department of Energy loan note to Fisker Automotive in November 2013. In total, the company raised well over $ 1 billion from private investors. Fisker had received a US$ 528.7 million conditional loan in September 2009 from the Department of Energy's US$ 25 billion Advanced Technologies Vehicle Manufacturing Loan Program (ATVM). Of
3600-424: The holding company for the assets of Fisker Automotive Karma Automotive . Henrik Fisker co-founded Fisker Automotive in 2007 with Fisker Coachbuild partner Bernhard Koehler and Quantum Technologies after securing U$ 5.2 million investment from Gianfranco Pizzuto, an Italian businessman, and Palo Alto Investors. Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers , a venture capital firm, was one of the early investors. Fisker
3672-417: The increasing influence of immigration . The Danish diaspora consists of emigrants and their descendants, especially those who maintain some of the customs of their Danish culture. A minority of approximately fifty thousand Danish-identifying German citizens live in the former Danish territory of Southern Schleswig ( Sydslesvig) , now located within the borders of Germany, forming around ten percent of
SECTION 50
#17327988082403744-464: The launch was rescheduled several times, the first deliveries took place in the U.S. in late July 2011 and deliveries to retail customers began in November 2011. The 20.1 kWh (72.36 MJ) lithium ion rechargeable battery in each car came from A123 Systems in Watertown, Massachusetts. The aluminum frame was engineered by Fisker and was supplied by Norsk Hydro from Norway . The cabin interior
3816-575: The local population. In Denmark, the latter group is often referred to as "Danes south of the border" ( De danske syd for grænsen ), the "Danish-minded" ( de dansksindede ), or simply "South Schleswigers". Due to immigration there are considerable populations with Danish roots outside Denmark in countries such as the United States, Brazil , Canada , Greenland and Argentina . Danish Americans ( Dansk-amerikanere ) are Americans of Danish descent. There are approximately 1,500,000 Americans of Danish origin or descent. Most Danish-Americans live in
3888-480: The plant was ultimately torn down. Fisker Automotive's investors have included Leonardo DiCaprio , Palo Alto Investors, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers , Qatar Holdings, LLC , A123 Systems, and Ace Investments. In April 2012, Fisker announced it had received $ 392 million in a round of financing, which was in addition to $ 850 million in private investment it had received in previous rounds. In Fisker's bankruptcy case, Hybrid Technology LLC ranked ahead of all
3960-410: The reasons that Denmark was able to integrate their earliest ethnic minorities of Jewish and Polish origins into the Danish ethnic group with much more success than neighboring Germany. Jewishness was not seen as being incompatible with a Danish ethnic identity, as long as the most important cultural practices and values were shared. This inclusive ethnicity has in turn been described as the background for
4032-424: The relative lack of virulent antisemitism in Denmark and the rescue of the Danish Jews , saving 99% of Denmark's Jewish population from the Holocaust . Modern Danish cultural identity is rooted in the birth of the Danish national state during the 19th century. In this regard, Danish national identity was built on a basis of peasant culture and Lutheran theology , with Grundtvig and his popular movement playing
4104-410: The territory's population. The most common Y-DNA haplogroups among Danes are R1b (37.3 %) and I1 (32.8 %). [REDACTED] Media related to Danes at Wikimedia Commons Fisker Automotive Fisker Automotive was an American automobile company. It produced the Fisker Karma , which was one of the world's first production luxury plug-in hybrid electric vehicles . The company
4176-413: The third quarter of 2012 production ceased. Then- Vice President of the United States Joe Biden (later President ) attended the October 27, 2009, announcement that Fisker Automotive would take control of the Boxwood Road Plant (previously owned and operated by General Motors as Wilmington Assembly ) in Wilmington, Delaware , with production scheduled to begin in late 2012. This never happened and
4248-432: The total loan amount approved, a total of US$ 192 million was drawn by Fisker Automotive for engineering work with primarily US suppliers to complete the Fisker Karma and Fisker's Project Nina, later revealed as the Fisker Atlantic . The Department of Energy froze Fisker's credit line in August 2012 after US$ 192 million had been drawn, and after differences between the DOE and Fisker on the milestones set as conditions for
4320-406: Was creative director of Ingeni, Ford's London-based design and creativity center. In August 2003, he became the director of Ford's Global Advanced Design Studio in Irvine, California , where the Ford Shelby GR-1 was designed. In 2005, Fisker left Aston Martin and the Ford Motor Company. In 2007, Tesla Motors hired Fisker to perform initial design work on the Tesla Model S electric sedan, which
4392-423: Was designed by Fisker Automotive, but was made in the United States by Magna International of Canada . The EVer powertrain system, technically a series hybrid, delivered over 400 horsepower, and was inspired by Quantum Technologies, a cofounder of and early investor in Fisker. A version of the Karma was relaunched as the Karma Revero in 2016 by Karma Automotive . At the 2009 Detroit Auto Show , Fisker showed
SECTION 60
#17327988082404464-541: Was founded in 2007 by Henrik Fisker , a Danish automobile designer. The company received significant private and public investment, including a $ 529 million loan from the federal government. The company raised over $ 1 billion from private investors such as the Kleiner Perkins venture capital firm. However, it repeatedly missed production deadlines, and production of the Fisker Karma was suspended in November 2012 with about 2,450 Karmas built since 2011 and just over 2,000 cars sold worldwide. The New York Times described
4536-412: Was frozen at $ 192 million in February 2012, after the DOE claimed that Fisker missed its milestones. According to the DOE, the government recouped a total of approximately $ 53 million ($ 28 million from the company plus $ 25 million from the sale of the loan to Hybrid Technology, months before assets of Fisker Automotive were sold to Wanxiang for $ 149.2 million). The New York Times described the company as
4608-416: Was introduced in 2012. That year, he also designed the body of the Artega GT two-door sports car, Artega Automobile 's first model, which was produced between 2009 and 2012. It spawned the 2011 Artega SE, an electric sports car with an identical body. In 2005, Fisker partnered with Bernhard Koehler to start a custom car firm, Fisker Coachbuild , based in Orange County, California . The company's first car
4680-539: Was involved in the design of many premium cars such as the Aston Martin DB9 and V8 Vantage , Artega GT , and BMW Z8 . He also served as design director and sat on the board at Aston Martin . Before Fisker Automotive, Fisker and Koehler left Aston Martin in 2005 to establish Fisker Coachbuild, in an attempt to revive the art of coach-building automobiles to customer specifications. The Fisker Tramonto and Latigo used chassis and power trains from Mercedes-Benz SL and BMW 6 Series automobiles. Several were purchased, but
4752-405: Was named the new CEO, and Henrik Fisker became executive chairman, but six months later on August 14, La Sorda was replaced by Tony Posawatz , previously General Motors Vehicle Line Director for the Chevrolet Volt . The company suffered a setback on October 29, 2012, when Hurricane Sandy flooded and destroyed its entire European shipment of 338 Karmas at Port Newark, New Jersey . Sixteen of
4824-475: Was ordered to pay US$ 1.14 million in legal fees and costs to Fisker. Following his resignation from Fisker Automotive in March 2013, Fisker voluntarily testified on 24 April 2013, at a congressional hearing led by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee on the Department of Energy 's $ 192 million disbursement to Fisker Automotive through the Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing Loan Program . Fisker Automotive had failed earlier that week to meet
4896-444: Was renamed Karma Automotive . The Fisker Karma was renamed the Karma Revero in 2016. Fisker is not affiliated with Karma Automotive or its parent company Wanxiang. In 2013, Fisker formed HF Design & Technology, a Los Angeles-based design house. In November 2014, Fisker designed the Galpin-Fisker Mustang Rocket , a coachbuilt custom-bodied Mustang. The car was a collaboration between HF Design and Galpin Auto Sports . In 2017, it
4968-412: Was renamed the VLF Rocket V8. In January 2016, Fisker formed VLF Automotive with manufacturer and former Boeing executive Gilbert Villarreal, and auto engineer and former General Motors executive Bob Lutz , to manufacture small-run handcrafted luxury cars. Based in Auburn Hills, Michigan , VLF is the successor to VL Automotive, which was launched in 2013 and led by Villarreal and Lutz. VLF designed
5040-514: Was settled with an undisclosed out-of-court agreement. Henrik Fisker resigned in March 2013, after "disagreements with management", in particular "disagreements over business strategy". Shortly after the departure of Henrik Fisker from Fisker Automotive, on April 5, 2013, Fisker laid off 75% of its workforce, retaining only a core group of 40 workers as it continued to negotiate with prospective investors. On October 11, 2013, Hybrid Technology LLC agreed to buy Fisker's defaulted government loan at
5112-558: Was the Fisker Karma , a hybrid sports sedan. The Karma was the only car by Fisker to ever be produced. In 2009, Fisker displayed the company's second model, the Karma Sunset, a two-door retractable-hardtop convertible based on the regular Karma. The Fisker Surf , displayed in 2011, was designed as a four-door plug-in hybrid hatchback. Neither the Sunset or the Surf entered production. In 2008, Fisker raised over $ 90 million from investors including venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers and actor Leonardo DiCaprio . In total,
5184-653: Was the Fisker Tramonto, a roadster based on the Mercedes-Benz SL 55 AMG . The company's second car was the Fisker Latigo CS, with a re-bodied BMW 645Ci coupe. 17 units of Tramonto were ever built in collaboration with coachbuilder Stola . In August 2007, Fisker and Quantum Technologies launched Fisker Automotive in Anaheim, California . The first car to be designed by Fisker Automotive
#239760