Fisker Karma

[spatterso911]

As much as I dislike the Fisker design (both style and drivetrain), Fisker going out of business hurts all of us. The general public does not know the difference between EVs and EVERs - they only hear that Fisker has a gov't loan and so does Solyndra and so does Tesla and and and.

The best possible outcome is for Fisker to survive, pay off their loan, and deliver cars to people who like that kind of style.

(But yeah, okay, it is a fascinating story to watch play out.)

I agree entirely. In some cases, people really don't know the difference, and I've seen people post pictures of the car interchangeably as either Fisker or Tesla.

 

[Raffy.Roma]

As much as I dislike the Fisker design (both style and drivetrain), Fisker going out of business hurts all of us. The general public does not know the difference between EVs and EVERs - they only hear that Fisker has a gov't loan and so does Solyndra and so does Tesla and and and.

The best possible outcome is for Fisker to survive, pay off their loan, and deliver cars to people who like that kind of style.

(But yeah, okay, it is a fascinating story to watch play out.)

I also agree with you Bonnie. I think that it is always good to have many brands producing EVs.
Then in the particular case of Fisker I also like the Karma (but I would prefer the Model S with a good Supercharger network in Europe).

 

[Park2670]

As much as I dislike the Fisker design (both style and drivetrain), Fisker going out of business hurts all of us. The general public does not know the difference between EVs and EVERs - they only hear that Fisker has a gov't loan and so does Solyndra and so does Tesla and and and.

The best possible outcome is for Fisker to survive, pay off their loan, and deliver cars to people who like that kind of style.

(But yeah, okay, it is a fascinating story to watch play out.)

Agree 100%

 

[richkae]

I wanted Fisker to succeed also - by making a better car.
After it finally was delivered and it didn't live up to the promises, I couldn't recommend it to anyone. It is form over function.

Maybe instead of hanging on and delivering a bunch of underwhelming cars - the best thing long term is for them to go away quickly and quietly.

 

[Park2670]

Each person I spoke to about the Fisker I said a similar thing. It's all form over function. Big car, small interior. Slow. Not really all that efficient.

 

[Norbert]

Perhaps the (relatively) new CEO will be able to improve things to the point where they can become moderately successful. I suppose most of the design of the next car ("Atlantic") is already done, so they'll have a design a good number of people appears to like. Perhaps that's another reason Fisker leaves: currently there probably isn't much for him to do.

 

[ryanjm]

Yeah. Sure there was a tiff between Tesla and Fisker and we're all Tesla fans here, but it sure would've been great to have another successful startup American automaker.

 

[scottf200]

Inappropriate. Tesla ousted Martin Eberhard during a phase when they struggled to bring their first car into production. Very similar situation with Fisker here IMO.

Excellent point.

http://green.autoblog.com/2009/06/10/martin-eberhard-sues-elon-musk-for-libel-slander-and-breach-of/

BREAKING: Martin Eberhard sues Elon Musk and Tesla for libel, slander and breach of contract

By Sam AbuelsamidRSS feed
Posted Jun 10th 2009 10:50PM

The only thing surprising about Martin Eberhard's latest move is that it took so long to happen. Eberhard was co-founder of Tesla Motors along with Mark Tarpenning, and he was ousted from the company in November 2007 by then-chairman Elon Musk. Musk has never been one to hide his feelings about other people (or much of anything) – and comments he has made about Eberhard and his role in the company have clearly not gone over well.

To nobody's surprise, Eberhard has filed a lawsuit in California Superior Court in San Mateo against Musk and Tesla Motors. In the suit, Eberhard accuses Musk of slander and libel, along with breaching the contracts that he and the company had with Eberhard. At 146 pages, we haven't yet had time to digest the entire complaint (though we do find it interesting that our coverage is mentioned in the lawsuit), but we have a sneaking suspicion this one is going to get ugly. You can read the filing in PDF form by clicking here.

ABG reached out to Tesla for comment, and spokeswoman Rachel Konrad provided the following statement:

"This lawsuit is a fictionalized, inaccurate account of Tesla's early years -- it's twisted and wrong, and we welcome the opportunity to set the record straight. Incidentally, Tesla will also be filing counterclaims and in the process present an accurate account of the company's history."
​

More as it happens...

 

[vfx]

My mother said If you can't anything nice....


" "

 

[Matthew049]

As much as I dislike the Fisker design (both style and drivetrain), Fisker going out of business hurts all of us. The general public does not know the difference between EVs and EVERs - they only hear that Fisker has a gov't loan and so does Solyndra and so does Tesla and and and.

The best possible outcome is for Fisker to survive, pay off their loan, and deliver cars to people who like that kind of style.

(But yeah, okay, it is a fascinating story to watch play out.)

well, maybe i'll be the only one to disagree here. i dont see how fisker going under or defaulting on their loan will hurt Tesla or its sales. i dont see any parallel relationship at all. they're not connected like the big 3 were when they got their bail outs. people that dont know the difference between EVs and EVERs obviously arent the ones buying them. i'll bet reservations dont drop off at all. any takers??? Tesla is going to be hurt by this??? i'll believe it when i see it..

 

[ckessel]

well, maybe i'll be the only one to disagree here. i dont see how fisker going under or defaulting on their loan will hurt Tesla or its sales. i dont see any parallel relationship at all.

It's not bad for Tesla per se, it's a blow to the EV movement. Many of us here may think Fisker was taking the wrong approach, but there's strength in numbers. Tesla's life gets easier if it doesn't have to stand almost entirely alone.

 

[Matthew049]

well, im still going to disagree. i think (IMO!) fisker was the bottom of the barrel EV/hybrid or whatever it was. (i know how the motor worked i just dont know what it's classified as). i think they brought everyone down w such a crappy product that wasnt even terribly green and was ridiculously overpriced for what you got. losing the worst in the group is a good thing, not a bad one. altho everyone's talking like they're all done and they're not. but i at least hope they are done and do go under completely.

 

[brianman]

As much as I dislike the Fisker design (both style and drivetrain), Fisker going out of business hurts all of us. The general public does not know the difference between EVs and EVERs - they only hear that Fisker has a gov't loan and so does Solyndra and so does Tesla and and and.

The best possible outcome is for Fisker to survive, pay off their loan, and deliver cars to people who like that kind of style.

(But yeah, okay, it is a fascinating story to watch play out.)

I mostly agree but... can we be happy that we'll (hopefully) hear less of Henrik touting hybrids as the "best vehicle possible ever"?

- - - Updated - - -

My mother said If you can't anything nice....


" "

That can be problematic if you're the plaintiff...

 

[Lloyd]

EVER....... Was that a pun?

 

[brianman]

EVER....... Was that a pun?

What ever do you mean?

 

[rolosrevenge]

What ever do you mean?

Maybe he means if it was an ironic joke, as in it doesn't seem like they'll last for-EVer

 

[alexkiritz]

well, maybe i'll be the only one to disagree here. i dont see how fisker going under or defaulting on their loan will hurt Tesla or its sales. i dont see any parallel relationship at all. they're not connected like the big 3 were when they got their bail outs. people that dont know the difference between EVs and EVERs obviously arent the ones buying them. i'll bet reservations dont drop off at all. any takers??? Tesla is going to be hurt by this??? i'll believe it when i see it..

I think this forum has given you an unrealistic view of what people know. Most people don't know anything and most of the people who will be buying EVs in the future don't either.

 

[AnOutsider]

I think this forum has given you an unrealistic view of what people know. Most people don't know anything and most of the people who will be buying EVs in the future don't either.

I agree, but I also think the Karma was a poorly-engineered vehicle. While people might confuse it with Tesla, it should be easy to point out Tesla is still in business and delivering cars. Should Fisker go under then they won't be around to make a bad name for EVs either..

 

[richkae]

I agree, but I also think the Karma was a poorly-engineered vehicle. While people might confuse it with Tesla, it should be easy to point out Tesla is still in business and delivering cars. Should Fisker go under then they won't be around to make a bad name for EVs either..

It is better for a bad company to go out of business quickly, instead of lingering and poisoning the well. Especially if they receive artificial help keeping them alive.
Zap is the poster child for this.

 

[Matthew049]

I think this forum has given you an unrealistic view of what people know. Most people don't know anything and most of the people who will be buying EVs in the future don't either.

i dont think it has. im really not on this forum very often. the people that are into being green and EVs and solar panels (like myself) are a different group of people.

- - - Updated - - -

I agree, but I also think the Karma was a poorly-engineered vehicle. While people might confuse it with Tesla, it should be easy to point out Tesla is still in business and delivering cars. Should Fisker go under then they won't be around to make a bad name for EVs either..

It is better for a bad company to go out of business quickly, instead of lingering and poisoning the well. Especially if they receive artificial help keeping them alive.
Zap is the poster child for this.

exactly! they're the bottom of the barrel! it's better to lose the worst in the group. they're bringing everyone down, not helping the cause. putting out a lousy product that's gotten nothing but bad press does NOT help the EV movement. maybe some of these investors would have put their $ into something good, like tesla. i just see fisker as a crappy product and a ton of wasted resources.