2023 Fisker Ocean Extreme Sport Utility 4d on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Fisker and Lutz hot-rod the Karma as V8-powered Destino [w/video]

You didn't think Henrik Fisker was done with the Karma, did you? The father of that stylish hybrid is returning to the design, teaming up with Bob Lutz and Gilbert Villarreal to transform the hybrid into an all-American, eight-cylinder performance sedan. As you may recall, Lutz and Villarreal formed VL Automotive a few years ago with plans to retrofit Fisker Karmas with Corvette V8s, calling the reworked product the VL Destino. Now Henrik Fisker has signed on to the project as head of design and product strategy, with Lutz serving as chairman and Villarreal as CEO under the newly renamed VLF Automotive. The joint plan calls for swapping the hybrid powertrain out of the Karma and replacing it with the 6.2-liter supercharged V8 from the previous Corvette ZR1. In stock form, the LS9 makes 638 horsepower and 604 pound-feet of torque. The VLF Destino is estimated to hit 60 in 3.9 seconds and top out at around 200 miles per hour. That will make it a world-class performance sedan capable of tangling with the finest imports, but will be retrofitted right here in America – in Auburn Hills, MI, near the Chrysler headquarters where Lutz once occupied the big corner office. VLF Automotive is showing the revised Destino at the Detroit Auto Show alongside the Force 1. We're trying not to get too excited about the prospect of a Fisker sedan with American muscle, as the Destino is slated to retail for $229,000 – which is even more than Aston Martin, for example, gets for the Rapide S or Porsche does for a Panamera Turbo S. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. VLF AUTOMOTIVE IS BORN A New American Luxury Sports Car Company Is Born Auburn Hills, MI January 8, 2016 - VLF Automotive, a new, US-based luxury sports car company, officially launches today through a partnership between legendary automotive designer Henrik Fisker, former General Motors Vice Chairman Bob Lutz and entrepreneur and manufacturer Gilbert Villarreal. Fisker is a VLF shareholder and third member of the executive management team alongside Lutz and Villarreal. "It's a circle," Lutz explained. "When Gilbert and I formed VL Automotive in 2012, we wanted to take Henrik's beautifully proportioned design, replace the hybrid gas-electric power train with a Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 drivetrain, and create a bespoke four-door luxury car with outstanding performance.

Troubled Fisker slashes price of leftover 2023 models

Fisker announced a round of drastic price cuts in a bid to offload its inventory of unsold 2023-model-year cars and hoist itself out of dire financial straits. The only model in its range, an electric crossover called Ocean, will cost up to $24,000 less beginning on March 29, 2024. The company offers three Ocean trim levels called Extreme, Ultra, and Sport, respectively. Updated pricing is as follows. 2023 Ocean Extreme: $37,499 ($24,000 less than before) 2023 Ocean Ultra: $34,999 ($18,000 less than before) 2023 Ocean Sport: $24,999 ($14,000 less than before) Note that these figures exclude destination and available incentives. Fisker notes that the price cuts only apply to 2023 models, which could deter some buyers. While these are new cars, and they feature the 2024 version of the company's operating system, some rival brands are already rolling out their 2025 models. To sweeten the deal, Fisker points out that the leftover 2023s are equipped with up to $7,000 in options including 22-inch wheels and extra-cost paint colors. Time will tell whether these massive discounts ($24,000 is about the price of a new Hyundai Kona) will allow the brand to trim down excess inventory. The Ocean's launch has been dotted with problems, including loss of power while driving, and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) opened a preliminary probe into the crossover due to four complaints "alleging unintended vehicle movement." Meanwhile, all is not well at Fisker. The company laid off about 15% of its staff earlier in March 2024 and warned that it risks running out of money. It later paused production of the Ocean, which is built in Austria by contract manufacturer Magna, because it's sitting on a global inventory of around 4,700 unsold cars worth over $200 million. Its shares were suspended from the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) as talks with a major carmaker, widely rumored to be Nissan, fell through. Fisker has reportedly hired advisers for a potential bankruptcy.

Got a Fisker Karma? Hack it for more driving options

We've already touched upon the ability to hack into the software of the BMW i3 battery-electric vehicle in order to change some of the preset driving modes. One of the issues there, though, was the risk of voiding the car's warranty. If you were do something similar to a Fisker Karma extended-range plug-in, the warranty thing probably won't come into play since the company went broke and is now, slowly being reborn. The hacking-inclined can access four new driving modes for the Karma, according to the Fisker community site Fisker Buzz. There's "EV mode" that simply depletes the battery regardless of how much fuel is in the range extender. "Sport mode" runs the battery at full power up until 60 percent state of charge (SOC). "Stealth mode" will hold any SOC and ER will increase the SOC to 90 percent full. If you'd like to watch blurry cell phone videos rather than read, there's an incredibly short YouTube clip above that apparently shows the driver accessing those additional drive modes. Poster PowerSource says that the new modes are turned on with a simple plug-in module: The enhancement will not modify any of the existing OEM software in the vehicle. Our solution is plug and play hardware that adds functionality. To put the vehicle back to stock you simply unplug the module, to add the functionality you simply plug in the module. Fisker does not have the capability to overwrite our software since its on our physical module. Fisker is in the process of rising from its bankrupt-induced ashes. The company went belly up in 2013, the year after it stopped making the last of its approximately 2,600 high-end Karmas. Last year, China-based Wanxiang bought out the company's assets for a tidy $149.2 million. And this year, the company is operating offices in Orange, County, CA, and is in the process of building a factory in Moreno Valley, CA, about 60 miles east of Los Angeles. Its new model will look a lot like the Karma but will be called the Elux. We're not sure how many drive modes it will have. Related Gallery 2012 Fisker Karma: Second Drive View 30 Photos News Source: Fisker Buzz Green Fisker Electric hacking software karma