Fisker Says Karma will Reach its 2011 $50k Nina to Mid-2013

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

Pratham UK PHOTO GALLERY

The first example of the Fisker Karma to be available for sale in the UK was auctioned off at a charity event held at Camden’s Round House. The highest bidder paid £140,000 ($220,689 US) – or more than double the car’s sticker price. The model in question will get a unique plaque signed by the company’s CEO, Henrik Fisker.

The plaque, or the bragging right to owning the first extended-range electric Karma in the UK, wasn’t the reason for this generosity: all proceeds from the auction, which raised over £870,000 ($1,371,120 US) will go to the Pratham UK organization.

Pratham UK is a chapter of the children’s charity that was founded by UNICEF in 1994 to ensure that all children in India receive an education. The funding will be used for programs like “Read India”, which aims to improve reading and arithmetic skills of children in the country’s rural areas.

PHOTO GALLERY

Nissan Drops Price of LEAF Home Charging System to $1,818

Good news for American customers interested in acquiring Nissan's pure-electric LEAF hatchback with a home charging system as the Japanese company announced today a noteworthy price drop.

When Nissan released pricing for the LEAF in 2010, the home charging system, developed by AeroVironment, carried an MSRP of US$2,200. Now it is available at a cost of US$1,818, including hardware and installation services for or a typical home fitting.

“By reducing the standard price for the installation of the Nissan LEAF home charging system, we aim to make the system accessible to a wider range of consumers,” said Brendan Jones, director, Nissan LEAF marketing and sales strategy, Nissan North America.

The Nissan-approved charging package remains the same and it includes a UL-listed charging dock, on-site help, installation, hands-on user training, 3-year hardware and service warranty plus 24/7, single point-of-contact availability.

PHOTO GALLERY

Audi, BMW, Daimler, Ford, General Motors, Porsche and Volkswagen Common EV Charging Protocol

ACEA, the European car manufacturers’ association, recently called for a common electric vehicle charging standard to be adopted by all automakers. This would be the ideal solution for a unified infrastructure, which in turn, would further boost EV sales.

No sooner had the association’s call been published and seven major manufacturers from Europe and the U.S. but oddly enough, not from Japan, namely Audi, BMW, Daimler, Ford, General Motors, Porsche and Volkswagen, announced an agreement to support “a harmonized single-port fast charging approach” for electric vehicles in Europe and North America.

The seven companies agreed to use the "HomePlug Green Phy" as the common communication protocol for charging their EVs, as it will facilitate easy integration in future “smart” grid applications.

The carmakers say that their decision was based on analysis of existing charging strategies, ergonomics of the connector and preferences of US and European customers.

This charging solution is backwards compatible both with the J1772 connector that is standard in the US and the European IEC 62196 Type 2.

Taiwan’s All-Electric Studio X-Gene Avant GT

It’s called the Avant GT and it looks like someone tried to make a Porsche Panamera out of a Honda Crosstour. The pure-electric model was first shown in Shanghai earlier this year and it’s the product of five companies – none of which have any real experience building cars – including Taiwanese design firm Studio X-Gene, financial partner Altair ProductDesign and technological partners Delta Electronics, Wistron and Qisda.

The Avant GT is being marketed as, “a pure electric sports grand tourer” – which I suppose makes it Taiwan’s Tesla or Fisker wannabe. Let’s see what the company bigwigs have to say about it, starting with Studio X-Gene executive director Albert Yang:

"The Avant GT is a unique project for Studio X-Gene and represents the quality of automotive design expertise available in Taiwan today. Partnering with Altair ProductDesign proved invaluable. Combining our design knowledge with Altair's engineering and optimization expertise has allowed us to deliver this exciting, high-performance new vehicle to the Shanghai Auto Show and really make an impact on the automotive community."

When will it be on sale? We don’t know. How much will it cost? We don’t know that either, though we guess we'll find out soon enough.

By Tristan Hankins

Story References: Studio X-Gene via Cnet

PHOTO GALLERY

ACEA Wants Carmakers to Adopt Standardized Charging Plugs for EVs

|

The European Union has already agreed with cell phone manufacturers to adopt a common charger format for their new phones. Therefore, consumers we will be able to buy a new phone without a charger, which up until now, was different to the one used by their old cellphone.

Now ACEA, the European car manufacturers association, is following the example and wants carmakers to adopt a common standard concerning chargers for their plug-in electric vehicles. To that end, it has already compiled a set of recommendations that stipulates the use of a uniform type of plug regardless of the country or power provider.

“This is a major step towards the broader introduction of electrically-charged vehicles in Europe and paves the way for a harmonized solution around the world”, said ACEA Secretary General Ivan Hodac. “We call on the European commission to adopt these recommendations and to clear remaining issues as soon as possible.”

Up until now, each manufacturer has introduced its own type of charger. A common type of chargers and charging stations will create a uniform infrastructure throughout the continent and is believed to help increase sales of electric vehicle across Europe.

According to Hodac, adopting a common standard will benefit not just the consumer, but also the carmakers and the charging stations providers: “Standardization provides predictability to investors, economies of scale and reduces costs. We have also ensured that our solution meets the highest safety standard and is easy to use.”

ACEA urges the EU to examine and approve of the new standard “as soon as possible”. Car manufacturers, on the other hand, want it implemented from 2017.

PHOTO GALLERY

Electric Vehicles, Hybrids, New Cars, Reports, Toyota, Toyota Prius, UK

After Toyota's U.S. arm came out with pricing details on the new Prius Plug-in Hybrid, the firm's British division is next in line to inform buyers what they're going to pay for the car when it goes on sale in Britain in the first half of 2012.

However, instead of giving a exact price tag, Toyota UK said the plug-in version of the Prius will "cost less than £31,000" before any government incentives, which can reduce the price to customer by up to £5,000, or under £26,000.

Toyota says that while official consumption numbers are still pending, it predicts the Prius Plug-in Hybrid will emit 49g/km of carbon dioxide and achieve 134.5mpg UK (equal to 112mpg US or 2.1lt/100km) combined cycle fuel economy (apparently when working in both pure electric and hybrid modes).

Ewan Shepherd, General Manager Toyota/Lexus Fleet Services commented: “Prius Plug-in Hybrid will be an exciting and valuable addition to what is already an industry-leading Toyota range that delivers significant financial benefits to companies and company car drivers with advanced and highly efficient models such as Prius and the British-built Auris Hybrid.”

Toyota added that it has entered a partnership with LeasePlan to support a corporate sales programme for Prius Plug-in Hybrid not only in the UK but also across the rest of Europe.

PHOTO GALLERY

SLS AMG GT3, Perhaps Even the E-Cell, But will get the Black Series

If the standard SLS AMG with its 6.3-liter engine and 571-horses is not hot enough for you, you’ll be happy to learn that Mercedes-Benz has told Motor Trend that the company will launch not one, but two hotter versions of its supercar.

“We absolutely have to do a Black Series SLS AMG”, said Tobias Moers who is a member of the board of directors and head of vehicle development at AMG. Although he declined to provide further details, judging from recent Black Series versions such as the C 63 Coupe, we can expect more power and, of course, an impressive aero-kit and race-inspired interior.

The Black Series, however, will look tame compared to the road-legal version of the SLS AMG GT3 racer, which will be created to homologate it for Europe.

Unfortunately, it won't be heading over to this side of the Atlantic due to the massive cost of re-certifying it for the States. “AMG does not make money losing projects. We can’t afford to,” said Moers.

The 2013 SLS E-Cell electric version may be another SLS that may not cross the Atlantic. Mercedes hasn’t yet ruled out bringing the 525HP pure electric supercar to the US, but once again, the company officials are contemplating whether or not the sales volume will justify the cost of the re-certification.

Story Source: Motor Trend

PHOTO GALLERY

Electric Vehicles, Frankfurt Motor Show, Infiniti, New Cars, Reports

The 64th International Auto Show in Frankfurt isn't only about uncovering the latest concept models and production cars but also about announcing future plans.

Infiniti on its behalf used the motorshow to release a new teaser sketch of its first pure electric model that will arrive in global markets in 2014.

The Japanese automaker described the as-of-yet unnamed production car as "a stylish, high performance five-seat luxury vehicle with zero emissions technology" but did not disclose any more details.

Mercedes F125,Official detailsMercedes F125,

We don't know if we were supposed to see Mercedes-Benz's new concept car before the grand opening of the Frankfurt Motor Show on September 13, but whatever the case, an Italian website has unleashed a gallery of photos along with some initial information on the hydrogen-powered model.

It is named the Mercedes F125, with the number apparently representing the German firm's 125th birthday. The impressive study with the gigantic Gullwing-style doors sports a futuristic design that follows on from the F800 Concept sports saloon shown at last year's Geneva Salon.

The experimental model is said to be powered by four electric motors with a combined output of 231-horsepower that draw energy generated by fuel cells. The coupe model completes the standard 0 to 100km/h (62mph) sprint in 4.9 seconds and can reach a top speed of 220km/h (137mph), while it has a driving range of 1,000km (622 miles).

Official details are expected to be released soon.

Story sources: Omniauto via Jalopnik

PHOTO GALLERY