Jay Leno may be losing his touch. The Fisker Karma made its debut a few months ago and the car has only now made it into the late night talk show host’s garage for inspection. Of course, they could have been waiting for all of their ducks to be in a row, considering the vehicle showed up with the founder of the company — and former Aston Martin designer - Henrik Fisker.
The video is 20 minutes long and in it, Fisker explains the technology behind this impressive hybrid sedan in detail, as well as talks about the story behind this $95,900 luxury sedan.
Refresher: The Fisker Karma is a plug-in hybrid that uses a lithium-ion battery pack to power two 200+ hp electric motors for about 50 miles. Fisker says the Karma achieves the 0 to 60 mph sprint in less than 6 seconds and can hit a top speed of more than 125 mph.
Unless you have been living under a rock for the past few months, everyone knows that Charlie Sheen has been falling into a downward spiral filled with drugs, prostitutes, and questionable cases of "winning." Fed up and insulted, CBS officials cast off the tainted star and replaced him by actor and comedian, Ashton Kutcher. Not a bad replacement if you can get it, but in watching Kutcher’s first episode, we noticed another star that was not so heavily marketed. Kutcher’s ride in the series is the hybrid Fisker Karma.
The sleek extended-range electric sedan made its debut in the show when Walden Schmidt (played by Kutcher) drove up to the house. CBS undoubtedly provided the character with an up and coming hybrid car to play up Kutcher’s good boy character and leave behind the bad boy essence of Sheen.
When discussing the choice to allow CBS to use the vehicle, Fisker spokesman, Roger Ormisher, said: "We are delighted to be have been pro-actively chosen as Ashton’s car on Two and a Half Men – it will give Fisker amazing visibility not only in the US but internationally too. The on-going partnership with Two and a Half Men is one that is both exciting and motivational for everybody here at Fisker Automotive."
After trudging along with the production of the Karma and introducing the Karma S Convertible Concept, Fisker has moved right along to the Frankfurt Motor Show with a new concept: the Surf. The Surf concept is an electric shooting brake model with extended range (EVer) capability and represents Fisker’s vision of a crossover between a sport car and a station wagon. It shows how Fisker is expanding its Karma platform rapidly with additional models that again create a new market niche. A production version will follow in 2013.
The company has described the concept as follows: "The Fisker Surf delivers a bold new twist and is sure to ‘wow’ global audiences with its combination of Uncompromised Responsible Luxury and head turning design."
We expect the Surf Concept will have something similar to the aluminum spaceframe architecture and Q-Drive powertrain as used in the Karma. Of course, we don’t anticipate that this concept to have two electric motors with an output of about 408 HP like the Karma, but a less powerful setup powered by the same lithium-ion battery pack will more than likely be available. The sprint from 0 to 60 mph will be made in 5.9 seconds and top speed will go up to 125 mph. The concept can travel up to 50 miles on electricity only and a turbocharged 2.0-liter petrol engine will act as a generator and will extend the range an additional 250 miles.
Fisker took years to have the Karma set and ready for production and now the company is rolling out new models at the Frankfurt Motor Show?
Sounds a little ambitious in our book, but the company is reportedly looking at introducing a host of new models in the coming years. One of the first models expected to be revealed is a crossover concept that’s scheduled to be introduced at the Frankfurt Motor Show next month.
We like the aggressive direction Fisker is taking after the long-awaited release of the Karma sports car, but the plethora of new models on tap in the coming years makes us think that these guys may be in over their heads. In addition to the crossover, Fisker is expected to introduce the soon-to-be released Karma saloon, a hard-top convertible version called the Karma S, a four-wheel-drive version of the Karma, and a new ’Nina’ model. We want to be wrong on this because we love what Henrik Fisker did with the Karma, but it just feels like they’re biting off more than they can chew.
Is the Fisker Karma the automotive equivalent of Gran Turismo 5?
Sure looks like it after the plug-in luxury sports car’s production date has been set back once again, this time until July. We’ve heard this sordid tale of run-around after run-around before and it can get pretty exhausting, especially when you consider that the Karma’s release date was supposed to happen over a year ago.
According to GreenCarReports, Roger Ormisher, director of global communications for Fisker Automotive, was quoted saying that the "first dealer [demonstration vehicles] and customer cars will arrive on these shores in July." So that pretty much rules out the earlier dates of May and June, as was previously announced by the company.
It’s disappointing, make no mistake about it. But considering that the company is still in its infancy, a little latitude should be exercised, if only to give these guys time to get their acts together. Then again, it probably isn’t a good business idea to keep delaying the product’s release date when you already raised it’s price before the car even hit the market.
This isn’t GT5, which you can just plop down 60 bucks to take home with you. $95,000 is a lot of money for people to part with and continuing to delay the release of the car could turn a lot of people off.
