Fisker Karma S convertible now available for order
Click above for high-res gallery of the Fisker Karma S Hopeful buyers of the Fisker Karma S now have a place to send their deposits to get in line for the first run of the extended-range plug-in drop top. Head PR man Russel Datz has reportedly confirmed that today’s deposits of $25,000 will lead to deliveries at the end of 2011, though the final price has yet to be determined. That’s a long wait to be sure, but getting a brand new vehicle with such cutting edge technology is anything but easy. Oh, and did we mention it’s also stunningly beautiful? Like the four-door Karma , the upcoming S model uses a GM-sourced 2.0L four cylinder Ecotec engine that’s turbocharged to the tune of 260 horsepower. That gas-burning powerplant will spin up a generator and recharge the lithium ion battery pack sitting in the center of the car. Those looking to use zero gasoline will need to map their trips out to 50 miles or less, but sufficient amounts of electricity will be available to hurl the slinky Karma S to 60 in under 6 seconds, courtesy of over 400 horses from twin electric motors. Gallery: Detroit 2009: Fisker Karma S [Source: eGMCarTech ] Auto Blog: EV/Plug-in , Hybrid , Fisker Fisker Karma S convertible now available for order originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Wed, 25 Feb 2009 09:42:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green
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Fisker Karma S convertible now available for order
Geneva preview: Fisker’s European strategy – and have you seen these pics?
Click above for a high-res gallery of the Fisker Karma Fisker Automotive gave the automotive world a big reveal – the Karma S – last month at the Detroit Auto Show . For the upcoming Geneva show, the company doesn’t have anything as impressive planned, but we’re still interested in the news they promised us today. Specifically, Fisker says that when the plug-in hybrid Karma and Karma S make their European debuts in Geneva, the company will also announce its European retail network strategy and pricing. In Detroit, Henrik Fisker announced that the Karma would cost US$87,900 and said it hopes to sell 15,000 Karmas a year starting in 2011. More details after the jump. While looking on the Fisker website for additional information, we discovered that a bunch of new pictures of the Karma had been posted there. These are gorgeous images, and we present them in the gallery below for your viewing pleasure. New wallpaper, anyone? Gallery: Fisker Karma [Source: Fisker ] Continue reading Geneva preview: Fisker’s European strategy – and have you seen these pics? Auto Blog: EV/Plug-in , Geneva Motor Show , Fisker Geneva preview: Fisker’s European strategy – and have you seen these pics? originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Fri, 13 Feb 2009 17:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green
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Geneva preview: Fisker’s European strategy – and have you seen these pics?
No surprise: Nissan-built small Chrysler model in trouble
Click above for high-res image gallery of the Dodge Hornet concept Color us unsurprised at the revelation that the long awaited tie up between Chrysler and Nissan has hit a rocky patch. Recall that the two automakers struck a deal last April that would have Dodge supply the next generation of the Nissan Titan fullsize pickup truck (built atop its Ram platform) in exchange for a duo of small cars to be built by Nissan and sold as Dodges. After the last few years of failed attempts to get some other automaker (first by way of Chinese automaker Chery , then Nissan ) to build a small car for sale here in America, we’ve grown immune to the disappointment of not getting the Dodge Hornet concept produced in a timely fashion. According to reports, sales of the Dodge Trazo, which is literally nothing more than a Nissan Versa wearing new badges, will go on as planned in South America. The other small car and the Dodge-built pickup have reportedly been put on hold as the companies work to fix their own financial problems. Our last hope may be that Chrysler is able to drum up enough money to make the planned strategic alliance with Fiat work out as hoped before its too late. Gallery: Dodge Hornet [Source: CNN ] Auto Blog: Chrysler , Dodge , Nissan , Fiat No surprise: Nissan-built small Chrysler model in trouble originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Fri, 13 Feb 2009 16:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green
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No surprise: Nissan-built small Chrysler model in trouble
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Leave a commentWashington 2009: Colin Powell likes the Fisker Karma
Auto Blog: EV/Plug-in , Hybrid , AutoblogGreen Exclusive , Green Daily , Washington DC Auto Show , Fisker Click above for a high res gallery of Powell’s Fisker visit There was a bit of a hub-bub around the Fisker Automotive booth yesterday afternoon thanks to the surprise appearance of one Colin Powell. The former four-star general, Secretary of State and WMD fearmonger spent a lot of time with both the Karma and the Karma S , getting a lot of one-on-one time learning about the vehicles from Henrik Fisker. A lot of well-known government officials visit the Washington Auto Show, but the Fisker booth model I talked with was geeked as anything about Powell’s appearance, asking me to send her the photos I was taking of the visit, even thought there were dozens of people snapping away with their own cameras. Even Powell pulled out his own camera to take his own pictures of the cars. The best part: Powell wore a name tag, just like the rest of us. Gallery: Colin Powell checks out the Fisker Karma Our travel and lodging for this media event was provided by the Auto Alliance. Washington 2009: Colin Powell likes the Fisker Karma originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Wed, 04 Feb 2009 11:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds .Car Blog Green|Car Blog Green|Car Blog Green
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Washington 2009: Colin Powell likes the Fisker Karma
Posted in Auto Green | a-natural-gas, alternatives, auto, bifuel, cngb-class, colin powell fisker, colinpowellfisker, fisker, government, Hybrids, usa | Leave a commentNew Fisker exec trying to line up dealers
Auto Blog: EV/Plug-in , Hybrid , Fisker Click above to enlarge the Fisker Karma Fisker Automotive has apparently chosen a different distribution path from its arch-rival Tesla Motors. While Tesla chose to completely bypass the traditional franchise dealership system, Fisker is sticking to basics. It remains to be seen how successful the Tesla model of company-owned stores will be in the long run, but Fisker has hired veteran executive Vic Doolan to help set up a network of dealers. Doolan previously served as president of BMW North America and Volvo North America. Apparently, part of the reason for setting up distribution and service through existing premium car dealers is to help instill customer confidence that they will get proper support from this upstart automaker. Twenty-five of the expected forty U.S. dealers have already been chosen and more will be appointed world-wide. Fisker’s plan to sell 15,000 cars a year still seems wildly optimistic, but at least they are taking steps to make it happen. Gallery: Detroit 2009: production Fisker Karma [Source: Automotive News - sub. req'd] New Fisker exec trying to line up dealers originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Sat, 24 Jan 2009 15:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Car Blog Green|Car Blog Green|Car Blog Green|Car Blog Green
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New Fisker exec trying to line up dealers
Posted in Auto Green | a-friend-via, automotive, fisker, fisker automotive, fisker dealers, its-arch-rival, tesla, vic doolan, vicdoolan, volvo-north | Leave a commentDetroit 2009: Henrik Fisker talks about the future of the Karma, and a low-cost model
Auto Blog: EV/Plug-in , Hybrid , AutoblogGreen Exclusive , Detroit Auto Show , Green Daily , Fisker Click above for high-res gallery of the Fisker Karma S When we sat down with Henrik Fisker during the Detroit Auto Show , he acknowledged that many people didn’t think his company would return for a second year. But, as we all saw, the company did return, and did so with a bang with the unveiling of the Karma S hardtop convertible . Braving the economic downturn and debuting a new model wasn’t all that difficult, Fisker said, because the aluminum frame of the Fisker Karma is “so flexible, that we can develop a variant of the Karma for very low cost.” This first variant, the Karma S, is scheduled for production in 2011. On the money side, Fisker said he never doubted that his company would be back because, “We had a very powerful and strong and displined business plan and we had some very, very sophisticated investors.” Those investors include Kleiner Perkins and QIA, the Qatar Investment Authority . So far, response to the Karma has been strong, with about 1,300 pre-orders already placed. The company should be up to full production – about 1,200 vehicles a month – in the middle of 2010, with 15,000 units planned for 2011. You can listen to our chat (13 min, 6MB) and click past the jump for much more about the low-cost Fisker and the different trim levels of the Karma models. Gallery: Detroit 2009: Fisker Karma S Gallery: Detroit 2009: production Fisker Karma Continue reading Detroit 2009: Henrik Fisker talks about the future of the Karma, and a low-cost model Detroit 2009: Henrik Fisker talks about the future of the Karma, and a low-cost model originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Thu, 22 Jan 2009 20:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds .Car Blog Green|Car Blog Green|Car Blog Green
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Detroit 2009: Henrik Fisker talks about the future of the Karma, and a low-cost model
Posted in Auto Green | a-bang-with, a-friend-via, a-new-model, a-very-powerful, fisker, fisker-karma, future, green-daily, henrikfisker, money | Leave a commentFord Fiesta named car of the year by What Car?
Auto Blog: Etc. , MPG , Ford , UK Click above for a high-res gallery of the Ford Fiesta Desiring a downshift in the size of your car? The editors of the British car buying website What Car? have decided that what you really need is a Ford Fiesta. The small car, specifically the Ford Fiesta 1.25i Zetec model, was named the Car Of The Year by What Car? editors. This version has the smallest engine available in a Fiesta in the UK, and made a positive impact on the reviewers at Autocar as well . What Car? pointed out that the Fiesta’s low fuel consumption was one of the reasons to like this car. Ford has already sold more than 61,000 units in the 19 European markets where the Fiesta is currently available. China will get the car next, in both five-door hatchback and four-door sedan versions, later this quarter. Because the Fiesta is intended for a global release, Americans can look forward to driving something similar to the 1.25i Zetec version here in the coming years. When it comes to the U.S. in 2010, the Fiesta should get Ford’s new PowerShift dual clutch gearbox . There’s more after the jump. Gallery: 2009 Ford Fiesta [Source: Ford] Continue reading Ford Fiesta named car of the year by What Car? Ford Fiesta named car of the year by What Car? originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Thu, 22 Jan 2009 19:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Car Blog Green|Car Blog Green|Car Blog Green|Car Blog Green
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Ford Fiesta named car of the year by What Car?
Posted in Auto Green | a-friend-via, a-named-car, a-will-get, car of the year, fisker, fisker-karma, ford, green-daily, whatcar | Leave a commentABG Quick Drive: Ford Focus EV mule [w/VIDEO]
Auto Blog: EV/Plug-in , Ford , Detroit Auto Show , First Drive Click the Focus EV “mule” for a high res gallery As Ford was getting ready to make its big announcement this week in Detroit that it would build and sell a battery electric car beginning in 2011 , I got a call asking if I’d like to come down and drive one of the development “mules.” Being loathe to reject such opportunities, we immediately worked on squeezing it into the busy auto show schedule. Right after the Fisker press conference on Monday, I headed over to the Ford booth to get my ride. A “mule” vehicle in automotive engineering parlance, is a non-representative vehicle fitted with a new powertrain or suspension components for testing purposes. In this case, Ford had a pair of current Focus sedans equipped with an electric drive train and lithium ion battery pack that was developed in partnership with Magna International. I spent some time chatting with chief engineer Greg Frenette and Magna rep Dick Devogelaere about the car and what we would see for production in two years time. The production model will be based on Ford’s C-segment platform, meaning it will be Focus-sized. However, Ford has already said it will have several vehicles in the U.S. market off this platform, including an MPV like the European C-Max. Frenette would not say which body style would initially get the electric drive. One item he would confirm was that there would be none of the whole leasing and taking back of the electric cars that other companies are still infamous for. The new EV will be sold outright to retail customers through Ford dealers beginning in 2011. Pricing is still undetermined. Check out the video after the jump and the full drive report on Green Fuels Forecast. Gallery: ABG Quick Drive: Ford Focus EV mule [Source: Green Fuels Forecast ] Photos Copyright (C)2009 Sam Abuelsamid / Weblogs, Inc. Continue reading ABG Quick Drive: Ford Focus EV mule [w/VIDEO] ABG Quick Drive: Ford Focus EV mule [w/VIDEO] originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Wed, 14 Jan 2009 20:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Car Blog Green|Car Blog Green|Car Blog Green|Car Blog Green
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ABG Quick Drive: Ford Focus EV mule [w/VIDEO]
Posted in Auto Green | a-friend-via, a-high-res, copyright, detroit 2009, detroit auto show, electric, first-drive, firstdrive, fisker, focus, ford, fordfocusev, green, meaning-it-will | Leave a commentVolt chief engineer still thinks hydrogen is the long term answer
Auto Blog: Hydrogen , GM , Detroit Auto Show Volt chief powertrain engineer Nick Zielinski on the right In recent years, Nick Zielinski has led the powertrain engineering teams on a number of GM advanced technology programs including the Chevy Equinox fuel cell vehicle and the Sequel concept. For the past two years, his focus has shifted to making the Chevrolet Volt a reality. The common thCar Blog Greenthrough all of these recent efforts is electric drive. The difference is the source of the electricity. The Volt, of course, uses a lithium ion battery with an internal combustion range extender. Just because this configuration is coming to the road sooner doesn’t mean that Zielinski has given up on his previous efforts. Following the announcement of GM’s battery manufacturing plans at the Detroit Auto Show on Monday, Zielinski spoke with MarketWatch about the program. Throughout all the financial turmoil of the last several months, development of the Volt has proceeded full speed ahead. Sources at suppliers to the program have also confirmed to ABG that Volt-related work is the only thing still moving for GM. In spite of the current enthusiasm for extended range EVs from GM, Chrysler and Daimler, no one expects this architecture to remain dominant for the long term, including Zielinski. Just like Daimler officials did at the reveal of the Concept BlueZero, Zielinski believes that hydrogen will be the long term answer to energy storage and production in electric drive vehicles. [Source: MarketWatch ] Volt chief engineer still thinks hydrogen is the long term answer originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Wed, 14 Jan 2009 19:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Car Blog Green|Car Blog Green|Car Blog Green|Car Blog Green
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Volt chief engineer still thinks hydrogen is the long term answer
Posted in Auto Green | a-lithium-ion, detroit 2009, detroit-auto, fisker, focus, fordfocusev, nick zielinski, nickzielinski, source | Leave a commentDetroit 2009: production Fisker Karma – and Karma S preview
Filed under: EV/Plug-in , Detroit Auto Show , Fisker Click above to enlarge the Fisker Karma While we’re waiting for Fisker Automotive to unveil the Karma S , the “Sunset,” later today, we got a chance to check out last year’s big hit, the Karma. The plug-in hybrid is on the wood floor in all of its metallic blue glory, and we snapped a few quick pics to tide you over. The good news is that we also got a preview shot of the Karma S. Here’s what the it looks like (OK, OK, sorry it’s such a tease). Two weeks ago, Fisker promised us that the car “will blow your top!” and we only have a few more hours until we can say for sure. Gallery: Detroit 2009: production Fisker Karma Detroit 2009: production Fisker Karma – and Karma S preview originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Mon, 12 Jan 2009 11:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds .Car Blog Green|Car Blog Green|Car Blog Green
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Detroit 2009: production Fisker Karma – and Karma S preview
Posted in Auto Green | a-few-more, a-few-quick, entry, fisker, fisker automotive, fisker karma s, fiskerautomotive, fiskerkarmas, myers, myers-motors | Leave a commentGet Approved!
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