2012 Fisker Karma on 2040-cars

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Henrik Fisker again teases new EV crossover — and maybe a pickup

Henrik Fisker, founder of the eponymous luxury EV company, is looking to make a grand comeback with some new models alongside his EMotion EV. The renowned automotive designer and entrepreneur has been teasing two new models on his Twitter feed while divulging some quick details about some additional new cars. On Thursday he tweeted about his new all-electric crossover from Fisker Automotive. He's been talking about this crossover, at "close" to a $40,000 price point, since spring, and just a few days ago he tweeted about its "enhanced +80 KWh lithium-ion battery pack" and 300-mile range. The latest tweet is accompanied by an overhead picture of the crossover, showing a photovoltaic solar panel built into its roof, a design once pioneered by the Fisker Karma from several years ago.   This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.   A tweet from Wednesday previews what looks to be a new all-electric pickup truck, one of two additional new models that will accompany the new crossover.   This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.   That tweet's digital rendering appears to be of a pickup's tailgate. The look is Ford F-150-esque, and with Tesla rumored to be working on a new EV pickup along with rivals such as Rivian and Workhorse, Fisker’s proposal doesnÂ’t seem too far-fetched. Though the rear view could also be of a more rugged SUV, also potentially aimed as a direct competitor to RivianÂ’s offerings. Fisker is reviving Fisker Automotive after it went bust back in 2013 and a Chinese parts conglomerate, Wanxiang, purchased the manufacturing, design and rights to make the Karma. Wanxiang rebranded as Karma Automotive, and Fisker took the sale money to start anew. News Source: Twitter Auto News Green Green Fisker SUV Electric

Fisker asset sale may not include name, logo

Always read the fine print before you sign the contract. That platitude is taking on new life as word comes that the winning bidder for bankrupt plug-in hybrid manufacturer Fisker may not actually earn the rights to use the company's name and logo. According to Delaware Online, that's because Fisker Automotive doesn't actually own either – they're the property of a different company called Fisker Coachbuild, LLC, and they have been used under license by the carmaker since 2008. This interesting bifurcation of assets brings to mind a previous bit of auto history - Rolls-Royce and Vickers. As it turns out, Fisker Coachbuild not only designs cars and components, it also has the merchandising rights to the Fisker name and logo for things like apparel and branded tchotchkes. How did this happen? According to the report, Coachbuild is a Fisker stockholder, and in 2008, a contract was signed by Bernhard Koehler (co-founder of Fisker and then-chief operating officer of Coachbuild) and designer and company namesake Henrik Fisker. Koehler and Fisker are actually in the logo, in a fashion, since it is supposed to represent the two men (the vertical lines) looking at the sunset (the red half circle) over the ocean (blue). Fisker Coachbuild attorneys have now put the bankruptcy court on official notice about their ownership of these key assets, and it's unclear if this news will affect the actions of leading bidders Wanxiang America, Inc. and Hybrid Tech Holdings. Coachbuild does sound somewhat conciliatory, saying "...it is likely that Coachbuild will consent to the assignment of the rights provided for under the Trademark Agreement as part of the proposed sale" while simultaneously "reserving its rights under applicable law to bar the assumption and assignment of Trademark Agreement without its prior written consent." This interesting bifurcation of assets brings to mind a previous bit of auto history. Back in 1998, British industrial conglomerate Vickers executed a now-legendary bit of wheeling-and-dealing that saw it sell the physical assets of luxury automaker Rolls-Royce to the Volkswagen Group. We say 'legendary' because it only sold the physical assets to VW – not the trademarks associated with them. Those trademarks included the Rolls-Royce name, famed double-R iconography and other assets – assets Vickers subsequently sold to BMW.

Aston Martin sues Henrik Fisker over Thunderbolt design

Imitation is supposedly the sincerest form of flattery, but Aston Martin isn't blushing after taking a look at the Fisker Thunderbolt. The british luxury brand has filed a lawsuit against the designer for allegedly copying the company's designs without permission in a US District Court in California. Fisker unveiled the Thunderbolt at the at the 2015 Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance as his own take on the Vanquish. The former Aston Martin stylist's changes included reshaping the grille, adding a power dome to the hood and incorporating wraparound rear glass. The version on display was a concept for the design, but the plan was to sell a slightly modified production version through Galpin Aston Martin. This lawsuit puts assembly in doubt. "This lawsuit centres on Henrik Fisker's creation and promotion of automobiles that Aston Martin contends infringes Aston Martin's rights, by an improper and unauthorised attempt to exploit and free-ride off them," said a portion of a prepared statement from the company emailed to Autoblog (embedded in full below). According to Bloomberg, the automaker claims in the suit that portions of the design, including "the famous Aston Martin mark, wings logo, side vent mark, and Vanquish mark" are being coping in Fisker's design. The business also calls the plan to change the design for the production version a "bait-and-switch." Fisker helped to shape the look of the Aston Martin DB9 and V8 Vantage during his time as a designer at the brand. "Today Aston Martin filed a lawsuit in the state of California to protect its valuable trade marks, designs and intellectual property rights. This lawsuit centres on Henrik Fisker's creation and promotion of automobiles that Aston Martin contends infringes Aston Martin's rights, by an improper and unauthorised attempt to exploit and free-ride off them. Aston Martin regards such conduct as wholly unacceptable and reserves all rights available at law to challenge it."