Just yesterday, Fisker sold the first example of its Karma extended-range hybrid sedan after receiving the necessary EPA certification – though the mpg numbers weren’t exactly what the company hoped for…
Despite the delay, Henrik Fisker, CEO and co-founder of the company, insists that the Karma will reach its sales target for 2011, which is a rather optimistic 7,000 units.
“Analysts have to look at it from a different perspective”, he said, dismissing reports that the Karma did not delivered what it promised. “We’ve already defied the analysts a couple of times. We’ve made it. We’re delivering cars.”
However, the not-so-good karma (pun intended) that made Fisker delay the timeline set for the sedan and miss the original targets seems to be affecting its second model line as well.
Fisker has already signed a deal with BMW to get the German firm’s new 2.0-liter supercharged TwinPower engines for Project Nina, which is a smaller hybrid sedan. However, the timeline of its launch has already been pushed back a year, from 2012 to mid-2013.
Whereas Valmet in Finland builds the Karma, the Nina will be manufactured in Delaware, USA. And while Fisker currently employs just 120 people, its new ex-GM in Delaware facility will have some 2,500 workers.
The reason is that the Nina will have a much higher production volume of 100,000 cars per year. Whether this is a realistic target remains to be seen. So far, Henrik Fisker has brought his first high-profile hybrid to the market and has begun filling the 3,000 orders the company says it has for the Karma.
Story Sources: Delaware Online
