2023 Fisker Ocean on 2040-cars

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VLF finally delivers first V8-powered, Karma-based Destino

The Destino idea has been bouncing around in Bob Lutz's head for a while, but in January things got serious when Lutz, Karma designer Henrik Fisker, and entrepreneur Gilbert Villarreal got together to form VLF. A few months later, Lutz says the first Destino is on its way to a customer, The Detroit News reports. As a reminder, the Fisker Karma ended up in foreign-ownership purgatory after the Fisker Automotive outfit hit financial troubles in 2013. That was around the same time we first heard rumblings about the Destino. As the Destino has evolved (and the company that builds it has changed names and relaunched itself), some things remain the same. There's still a GM LS9 supercharged V8 in it, best known as the engine at the heart of the C6 ZR1, driving the rear wheels. The Destino starts at $229,000, and it's on sale, well, now. Related Video: Featured Gallery VLF Destino View 12 Photos News Source: The Detroit News Fisker GM Automakers Luxury Performance Sedan corvette zr1 Henrik Fisker vlf automotive

Henrik Fisker previews secretive car with gorgeous butterfly doors

Earlier this month, Henrik Fisker announced plans for a 400-mile electric car that would follow up on the failed Fisker Karma. Fisker recently took to Twitter where he posted a picture of a mysterious vehicle with magnificent dihedral (also known as butterfly) doors. This, then, is our first look at Fisker's upcoming electric vehicle. So far, everything looks good. Besides the dihedral doors, there's not much to go off of. Dihedral doors aren't new, as McLaren uses the units on its entire range (as do other cars, mainly exotics), but the rear-hinged ones are unique. We've seen suicide doors and falcon doors on four-door vehicles, but no rear-hinged dihedral ones intended for production that we can recall. According to Fisker, the upcoming model uses the fancy doors for better ingress and egress. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Other than the nifty doors, the front fascia has what looks to be LED accent or running lights on the side, while the rear taillights are also LED units. As Fisker claimed earlier this year, the upcoming electric car will be a "spiritual successor" to the Karma and that shows in the profile of the car, although the teased car has shorter front and rear overhangs. Fisker hasn't released a lot of information on the upcoming vehicle, besides that it would be "sporty and spacious." The outline of the vehicle definitely looks sporty, but there's no way to say if it's spacious from the one image. The new vehicle will be Fisker's first under his new company called Fisker Inc. The battery technology for the vehicle is currently being developed at UCLA, by the company's own battery division known as Fisker Nanotech. The vehicle is expected to be revealed late next year. Related Video: News Source: @FiskerOfficial Design/Style Green Fisker Electric Future Vehicles Sedan Henrik Fisker nanotech fisker inc

New Fisker Karma will be pretty familiar

"It's all the same, only the names have changed," Jon Bon Jovi memorably sang, and it sure will apply to the next incarnation of the Fisker Karma. That's what the rumor mill says, anyway. A writer identified as JCMorrill on the Fisker forum Fisker Buzz says he (or she) has gotten some information by spending a "couple hours last week with the managers setting up the new factory." Anyone who liked the old Fisker Karma (perhaps not its creditors) will be pleased. That's because there doesn't seem to be a ton of changes in store for the extended-range plug-in hybrid, which is now known as Karma (China-based parent Wanxiang has ditched the "Fisker" badge, which remains attached to the coachbuilding company run by Henrik Fisker). The 2.0-liter powertrain will be the same, as will that 33-mile all-electric range and 240-mile total range. The company's not going to mess much with the sedan's sleek looks, either, according to the Tuesday post on Fisker Buzz. The brakes will actually be downgraded a tad, and the dash displays will be updated. There will be some driver-assist features added, including some braking and cruise-control features. Given that the new car will sport a price tag estimated to be $135,000, there better be. The Fisker Karma was last produced in 2012 before the company went bankrupt. Wanxiang acquired the company's assets in 2014. Rechristened Karma Automotive last year, the company has built a Southern California factory and could re-introduce the model as soon as some time later this year. Meanwhile, Mr. Fisker himself said earlier this year that he was teaming up with Bob Lutz and Gilbert Villarreal to re-imagine the Karma as a high-performance sedan powered by the 6.2-liter V8 Corvette ZR1 engine. The collaboration, called VLF Automotive, showed off the latest version of their alternative Karma at the Detroit Auto Show and said at the time that the car would retail for a cool $229,000. News Source: Fisker Buzz via Green Car Reports Green Rumormill Fisker Hybrid extended-range plug-in karma karma automotive