2023 Fisker Ocean on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Wanxiang approved to build new Karma, Atlantic EVs in China

Ever since buying the remnants of Fisker back in 2014, Wanxiang's plan has always included building new vehicles in China. We're one step closer to that, with the approval this month of Wanxiang's request to build electric vehicles in the country. The National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) says Wanxiang can build a new factory that can make up to 50,000 EVs a year. As we noted back in August, the new Karma Automotive factory will not only build the revived model that used to be known as the Fisker Karma (now the Karma Revero) but also the never-made Atlantic. The Atlantic did exist in concept form in 2012, but Wanxiang's new factory might make it real. This makes sense, since the Valmet machines that built the Karma the first time around have been shipped from Finland to California for Wanxiang's new plant there. When Wanxiang relaunched the Karma website in 2014, it did so with the slogan, "Hello Future. Meet the Atlantic." Maybe it should have said, "Hello China," instead. Related Video: Featured Gallery Fisker Atlantic News Source: Reuters Government/Legal Green Plants/Manufacturing Fisker Electric Hybrid wanxiang karma revero

Karma Automotive's next vehicle won't be the Atlantic, a coupe or a convertible, but it will be muscular

It's been a few months since we've gotten an update on what's happening at Karma Automotive. Since the car is here at the Detroit Auto Show, we stopped by and talked to Karma's TIm Oleston about where the company is and what's coming soon. Last fall, Karma was saying that its 550,000-square-foot factory in Moreno Valley, California would be up and running about now. But the timeline has turned into a more vague "some time in 2017," so we'll just have to wait for new about the start of actual production. Karma has run a few pre-production prototypes through the machines, and took 8-10 of them on a tour for prospective buyers in all the cities where the car will be sold (see the list here). On that tour, interested buyers were able to take the cars on test drives. "We wrung these cars out, in all kinds of weather," Oleston said, and none of them had a problem. We expect a spokesperson to give us the positive side of the story, but we'll take him at his word when he says that Karma engineers were expecting lots of problems, and were instead pleasantly surprised. The car itself remains pretty much the same as we're seen before, with 981 foot-pounds of torque and a top speed of about 128 miles an hour. Twenty-two-inch wheels are standard. The whole thing weighs about 5,400 pounds, so it's not going to win awards at the drag strip, but the more rigid chassis makes the Revero an excellent long-distance tourer, Oleston said, saying that he's spent thousands of miles behind the wheel. Oleston said that while the upcoming factory will be able to make more, if Karma sells about 2,000 Reveros, maybe 1,000 of them in the first year, that'd meet the company's expectations. As for the Karma model that's coming after the Revero, it will not be the Atlantic. Oleston said that the designers are working on "quite a few project," including ideas that take the "feline muscularity" of the Revero and crank it up a notch. Other than that, he would only hint at Karma's next model: "It's not a coupe, it's not a convertible. That's all I should say right now." More information will be coming in a few years, he said. The Revero's infotainment is getting a major overhaul. We knew this, and that it will have Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. You can see more in the video below. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Fisker commits to Extreme E electric off-road series

EV manufacturer Fisker has committed to Extreme E, the company confirmed Monday, and is in "advanced talks" to become a series partner and potentially field a factory team. The Extreme E series is the brain child of Formula E mastermind Alejandro Agag. It will feature purpose-built 4x4s EVs racing in remote, spectator-free venues with coverage provided by drones. The series will visit remote regions of Nepal and Saudi Arabia, among other locales, and teams will be transported from one leg to the next via ship. Extreme E is refitting a 7,716-ton former Royal Mail Ship, the RMS St. Helena, to serve as transportation and floating paddock. There will be five races in the 2021 season — if all goes to plan. The series' remote nature will make it less accessible to fans, but the choice of such locales was intended to highlight "[...] the impact of climate change and human interference in some of the worldÂ’s most remote locations and promotes the adoption of electric vehicles to help preserve the environment and protect the planet," the series announcement said.  "Alejandro brought electric vehicle racing into the mainstream with Formula E and I fully support his vision to reinvent off-road racing at the same time as creating an education platform for the threats posed by climate change. Extreme E and Fisker Inc. are completely aligned in our mission and values," said CEO Henrik Fisker. Extreme E will use a spec chassis. Dubbed the Odyssey 21, it will be built by French company Spark and powered by batteries designed by the Williams Formula One team. Spark says the Odyssey 21 can do 0-62 mph in 4.5 seconds and with a range of 200km in non-racing conditions. The top speed is around 200 kph (or approximately 120 mph). While the chassis and battery pack will be provided, manufacturer teams will be tasked with developing their own electric motor and inverter. They will also have leeway in designing certain body panels, allowing them to make the Odyssey 21 look more like their own production models.