From the man who brought the world the DB9 comes a plug-in hybrid CLS-type four-door coupé. The new car will have a starting price of $80,000 and production will commence in 2009.

The manufacturer - Fisker Automotive, Inc., a ‘green American premium sports car company’ – is anxious that buyers should practice good Karma by driving a car that is environmentally friendly, without sacrificing any comfort or style.

‘Karma’ is of course the Hindu/Buddhist principle of a force generated by a person's good or evil actions which determines the nature of the person's next existence. "In creating Fisker Automotive, Inc. we sought to develop a range of beautiful, environmentally friendly cars that make environmental sense without compromise," said the company’s CEO Henrik Fisker.



"Our hope is that the Fisker Karma will be the start of a new trend in the automotive business - less concession with more efficiency."

Developed by Quantum Technologies exclusively for Fisker Automotive, the cutting-edge Q DRIVE configuration consists of a small petrol engine that turns the generator, which charges the mid-mounted lithium ion battery pack, powering the electric motor and turning the rear wheels.



Karma owners will be able to drive the car emission-free for up to 50 miles a day provided the car is charged every evening. The company states that ‘it's conceivable that if consumers follow this daily routine, they will only need to fuel the car but once a year’. Q DRIVE technology will provide a base for all future derivatives from Fisker Automotive.

The Karma is a low-slung, lightweight-construction coupé with four doors, approximately the height of a 911 and as long as a Mercedes-Benz CLS. A full four-seater, its boot will accommodate two golf bags and accompanying luggage. As an option, the Karma will offer ‘self-contained climate control’, as customers will be able to purchase a full-length solar roof that will help charge the car and provide cooling for the interior cabin while the car is parked.

Performance is quoted as 0-60 mph in less than 6 seconds, with a top speed of ‘beyond 125mph’. It also features regenerative brakes to recapture braking energy.



Series production will commence in the 4th quarter of 2009, with an annual volume projected to reach 15,000 cars.

It's going to be popular in Hollywood.

For further information, see www.fiskerautomotive.com.

Text: Steve Wakefield
Photos: Fisker Automotive