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

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Henrik Fisker says he's developing EVs in 'stealth mode'

VLF Automotive added a second model to their small lineup earlier this year. While the Force 1 sports car continued the company's tradition of cars with big displacement gas engines, a story by The Detroit News reveals that corporate partner Henrik Fisker isn't done with electric cars. The story is basically an inside look at how the company operates along with some insight on the company from Bob Lutz, one of the founders, and Henrik Fisker. However, among general comments about the company, Fisker told Detroit News that he's "definitely working in stealth mode on electric cars of the future." The news outlet also reported that Fisker said he's nearing a battery breakthrough and there might be a future electric VLF bearing his name. His interest in continuing with EVs is consistent with past statements, but this is the first we've heard of him actively working on electric car technology. Fisker wanting to stay under the radar in regards to electric car development is also understandable. His previous self-titled car company showed promise with the beautiful Karma plug-in hybrid, but it went bankrupt and was sold off to a Chinese car company. The Chinese company renamed itself Karma and is planning on selling cars again soon. Fisker's other interim automotive ventures have been met with mixed success. He teamed up with Galpin Auto Sport to create a custom Aston Martin Vanquish and Ford Mustang. The former resulted in a lawsuit from Aston, and the latter had polarizing styling. Setbacks clearly don't discourage Fisker though, and he even has plenty of things outside of VLF to keep him busy. He's currently working on a yacht for boat-builder Benetti, and he told The Detroit News he even has an idea for a TV show about building cars. For more on Fisker and VLF, check out the whole Detroit News story here. Related Video: Featured Gallery VLF Force 1 V10: Detroit 2016 View 17 Photos News Source: The Detroit NewsImage Credit: Drew Phillips Green Fisker Automakers Electric Future Vehicles Henrik Fisker karma karma automotive vlf automotive vlf

U.S. opens another probe into Fisker's cars, over brake issue

  The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on Friday opened a preliminary probe into 6,813 Fisker Ocean SUVs built in 2023, after complaints that the automatic emergency braking system used in the electric vehicles had activated inadvertently. The regulator said its Office of Defects Investigation has received eight complaints alleging activation of the braking system without an apparent roadway obstruction in the vehicle's forward path, resulting in sudden vehicle deceleration. Three of the complaints alleged an injury, the safety agency said. NHTSA's preliminary evaluation will look into the scope and severity of the potential problem to assess its impact on safety. The regulator could close the investigation into Fisker without taking any potential action. The probe adds to Fisker's woes as its Ocean SUVs were already under investigation by the NHTSA for three prior incidents. Last month, the safety regulator received complaints that the doors of the company's EVs sometimes failed to open. Fisker had flagged "going concern" doubts in February, followed by delisting of its stock from the New York Stock exchange and the collapse of talks with a large automaker for a potential deal in March. The startup had said in April it failed to make an interest payment of about $8.4 million on some notes due in 2026 during a 30-day grace period. The cash-strapped firm initiated insolvency proceedings for its Austrian unit on Tuesday, as it looks for strategic options to raise money to meet its debt obligations. 

New Fisker owner ready to go broke building EVs, challenging Tesla

Now this is the kind of fighting spirit we like to see. Lu Guanqiu is a Chinese billionaire who has visited the White House alongside Chinese president Hu Jintao in 2011. He's worth an estimated $3.1 billion. And he wants to take on Tesla Motors and other EV makers with his newly purchased company, Fisker Automotive. Lu is the chairman and founder of China's Wanxiang Group Corp., which bought Fisker for just under $150 million earlier this year. It also purchased battery supplier A123 Systems last year. Speaking to Bloomberg recently, Lu said that EV technology is at the top of his list of ways to go broke. "I'll put every cent that Wanxiang earns into making electric vehicles. I'll burn as much cash as it takes to succeed, or until Wanxiang goes bust," he said. Ahhh, inspiring. "I'll burn as much cash as it takes to succeed, or until Wanxiang goes bust" – Lu Guanqiu Exactly how and when new Fisker vehicles come to market - or if they'll even be Fiskers when they do – has been the subject of some debate. As part of the Fisker bankruptcy auction, Lu and Wanxiang now own an old, empty General Motors plant in Wilmington, DE. Lu told Bloomberg that Wanxiang has plans to first start building EVs, including the Karma plug-in hybrid, in the US (which suggests that restarting Karma production at Valmet is not going to happen) and to later build them in China. Right now, Lu's company only makes one type of electric vehicle: buses. Lu told Bloomberg he knows it will take a while to get his electric cars to market: "The road is still very long. We want to concentrate for now on manufacturing in the US. If I don't succeed, my son will continue with it. If he doesn't make it, my grandson will." Currently, emails sent to the "New Fisker" website are met with an automated response that promises a more personal touch later. It also says that the company is "very well funded and have a great plan to create a world class automotive company." That the new owner is ready to go broke doing so is not mentioned. You can read the New Fisker email and see a Bloomberg video on Lu below. Dear Fisker enthusiast, We at 'The New Fisker' would like to sincerely thank you for the email you sent via the website and greatly appreciate the time you have taken to reach out to the new company. The details of your correspondence are being reviewed by members of our devoted team, who are truly passionate about responding to you individually and personally.