Fisker Officially Unveils New Audi A5 Rivaling Atlantic Plug-in Hybrid Sports Sedan [Pics & Video]

It’s show time for the maker of the Karma hybrid, as Fisker officially presented its new Atlantic mid-size sports sedan at a special event on Tuesday night in advance of the car’s world premiere at the New York Auto Show on Wednesday, April 4.

Revealed here as a design prototype, the Atlantic will be Fisker’s first mainstream and mass produced vehicle. The company said the car is aimed at young families who want to drive “an impactful, high-end vehicle while making a positive statement about responsibilities”.

The California-based automaker declined to get into specific details, but it is believed that the Atlantic will start from under $50,000, not including any federal green tax credits, which could reduce the price to a little over $40,000, or less than half the cost of the Karma.

Just like the Karma sedan, the Atlantic is a plug-in series hybrid that allows the driver to switch manually or automatically between electric and gasoline driving modes and sustain the charge of its lithium ion batteries on the move.

But whereas the Karma uses a GM-sourced 2.0-liter turbocharged gasoline engine, the Atlantic will be Fisker’s first model to utilize a 2.0-liter turbo’d four-cylinder gasoline unit from BMW.

The standard powertrain will be configured for rear-wheel drive, but Fisker will offer an all-wheel drive version as an option.

The exterior styling of the Atlantic incorporates the design DNA of the Karma in a more compact, fastback package with hidden rear door handles and a large glass roof. The company hasn’t revealed the car’s exterior dimensions yet, but said that the Atlantic is comparable in size to the Audi A5 Sportback.

“We are exceptionally proud of the Atlantic design prototype, and believe we have created another groundbreaking car that looks and will drive like nothing else on the road in this class,” commented Henrik Fisker, co-founder, Executive Chairman, and Design Director of Fisker.

The Atlantic will be built at a former GM factory in Delaware. Even though work at the plant recently came to a halt as the U.S. Department of Energy blocked a loan to the automaker, Henrik Fisker told CNN today that his company secured about $400 million in private equity financing that would allow it to get the factory ready for the production of the Atlantic.

Fisker said that it will release more details on the Atlantic, including prices and an on-sale date, closer to the launch of the production car.

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