2023 Fisker Ocean on 2040-cars

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New Fisker claims 50-50 chance it will build cars in Delaware

As soon as the bankrupt Fisker Automotive started crawling back from the dead, rumors that the new owners would restart production of the Karma plug-in hybrid crawled as well. We've heard that the car would be built in the old General Motors plant the company owns in Delaware, that it would happen in Michigan or that Valmet would get going again in Finland. Nothing official has yet been announced, but Delaware Online is now saying that it's even money that Delaware to play a role in Fisker's physical rebirth. "It definitely makes economic sense to consider [the Delaware] facility" – Roger Brown Roger Brown is the interim president of Fisker Automotive and recently said that there is a "50-50" chance that the Newport, DE will be where the company rises again. "We inherited this situation, and because the facility is one of the assets we purchased, it has ... good bones, it has a paint shop, and you know, it definitely makes economic sense to consider that facility," he told Delaware Online. Before Fisker's bankruptcy, Delaware offered over $20 million in incentives to get the automaker to build cars there. It never did, and a recent settlement agreement does not give the state much of a return on that money. The bankruptcy proceedings are not yet finished, but Brown made what has to be considered a bold statement. In deciding which locations makes sense to restart production, he said that, "if they provide incentives, obviously that would go into the equation; if they don't, obviously that would go into the equation also." The closest that the new Fisker has come to saying where it will restart building cars is in documents that new owner Wanxiang filed with a federal court earlier this year. That three-part plan included restarting Karma production at Valmet, using partner VL Automotive's manufacturing facility in Michigan and then building the Atlantic somewhere. Brown gave a timeline to Delaware Online - new Karmas by August 2015, start building the Surf shooting brake by March 2016 and then add in the Atlantic by the end of 2017 - which would give Fisker time to tool up the Delaware plant for the Atlantic. Brown also said that building with VL Automotive has now been ruled out.

Henrik Fisker says he's developing EVs in 'stealth mode'

VLF Automotive added a second model to their small lineup earlier this year. While the Force 1 sports car continued the company's tradition of cars with big displacement gas engines, a story by The Detroit News reveals that corporate partner Henrik Fisker isn't done with electric cars. The story is basically an inside look at how the company operates along with some insight on the company from Bob Lutz, one of the founders, and Henrik Fisker. However, among general comments about the company, Fisker told Detroit News that he's "definitely working in stealth mode on electric cars of the future." The news outlet also reported that Fisker said he's nearing a battery breakthrough and there might be a future electric VLF bearing his name. His interest in continuing with EVs is consistent with past statements, but this is the first we've heard of him actively working on electric car technology. Fisker wanting to stay under the radar in regards to electric car development is also understandable. His previous self-titled car company showed promise with the beautiful Karma plug-in hybrid, but it went bankrupt and was sold off to a Chinese car company. The Chinese company renamed itself Karma and is planning on selling cars again soon. Fisker's other interim automotive ventures have been met with mixed success. He teamed up with Galpin Auto Sport to create a custom Aston Martin Vanquish and Ford Mustang. The former resulted in a lawsuit from Aston, and the latter had polarizing styling. Setbacks clearly don't discourage Fisker though, and he even has plenty of things outside of VLF to keep him busy. He's currently working on a yacht for boat-builder Benetti, and he told The Detroit News he even has an idea for a TV show about building cars. For more on Fisker and VLF, check out the whole Detroit News story here. Related Video: Featured Gallery VLF Force 1 V10: Detroit 2016 View 17 Photos News Source: The Detroit NewsImage Credit: Drew Phillips Green Fisker Automakers Electric Future Vehicles Henrik Fisker karma karma automotive vlf automotive vlf

VLF Force 1 V10 is a rebodied Viper priced like a Lamborghini

It would appear that Henrik Fisker is done with hybrids. His latest project, called the Force 1, packs an oversized V10 engine with no electric assist in sight and all the environmental credentials of a herd of flatulent cattle. Alongside the Karma-based, Corvette-powered Destino, the Force 1 is the second product from VLF Automotive. Fisker has taken partnership in the new firm as chief designer alongside chairman Bob Lutz and CEO Gilbert Villarreal. The company isn't saying explicitly what the Force 1 is based on, but it doesn't take a CSI team to trace its roots back to the Dodge Viper. Never mind that it's being built in Auburn Hills – the same Detroit suburb where Chrysler is headquartered – or that it was jointly developed by Fisker and professional Viper racer and dealer Ben Keating. It also happens to be powered by an 8.4-liter V10, and there aren't many of those kicking around the industry. Instead of the Viper's 645 horsepower and 600 pound-feet of torque, the Force 1's ten-cylinder engine is optimized to deliver 745 hp and 638 lb-ft. That, according to VLF, is enough to send the coupe rocketing to 60 in 3.0 seconds flat, covering the quarter-mile in under 11 seconds on its way to a top speed of 218 miles per hour. The power is transmitted to the Pirelli PZero rubber through a six-speed manual, but VLF says it will fit it with an automatic at the customer's request. Around that massive engine and two-seat cockpit, Fisker designed a new shape that, for better or for worse, looks way more aggressive than the Viper's. The Force 1's proportions are tellingly super-snake, but the curves are replaced by some very angry-looking angles and vents. Its head- and taillights are ultra thin, and the deep-dish, split-four-spoke wheels seem to visually split the difference between the three-spoke wheels on the original Viper and the five-spoke alloys it wears today. If you doubted the Force 1's origins before, the interior ought to give it away, with its wide tunnel and familiar surfaces. Only VLF has refinished it in leather, suede, and Alcantara, all diamond stitched with contrasting thread to help position this as a more luxurious prospect than the Dodge. It even fit between the seatbacks place for two champagne bottles that we hope nobody would consider consuming before trying to handle that much power. Of course, none of this will come cheap.