We haven’t ever tried to make our own plug-in hybrid luxury car, but we’re learned from Fisker that we should never promise to release anything by a particular date, should we ever get into the business.
Remember, the $95,900 Karma has been promised for Novemeber 2009, then September 2010 and then for the first quarter of 2011, even though production started in Finland on March 22nd. Earlier this year, Fisker spokesman Russell Datz said that deliveries would start “soon after” Karma production got going. Roger Ormisher, Fisker’s director of global communications, told AutoblogGreen that “soon” means about three months:
I don’t think this can really be interpreted as a delay.
We have brought the Fisker Karma from prototype to production in a mere 37 months. Not bad by any automaker’s standards, not taking into account that Fisker Automotive is a brand new car company, utilizing a brand new platform and brand-new technology, as well as trying to raise finance along the way!
Limited series production, as we promised, started at the end of March and we are ramping up slowly to ensure absolute quality. We will start shipping cars to retailers and importers in both US and Europe (we are doing a simultaneous launch – again unusual, even for an established manufacturer) to arrive during May/June and the first deposit holders will be in their cars in the June/July timeframe.
We feel that this is quite an achievement, especially taking into consideration the limited ramp up of other established manufacturers with both EV and PHEV cars on the market.
It’s an achievement, to be sure. Just one that’s taken longer than anyone expected.
[Source: Fisker, Earth2Tech, Green Tech Media]
