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Henrik Fisker seeking Indian joint venture

Henrik Fisker may have backed out of the luxury hybrid automaker that bore his name, but don't dismiss him as down for the count just yet. In his latest initiative, the Dutch automotive designer is looking into starting up a joint venture in India. According to the Economic Times, Fisker was recently on the sub-continent visiting factories and holding meetings with Indian automakers that could see some sort of joint venture announced in the next three to four months, with Henrik himself tipped to join the board of his partnering automaker in an advisory capacity. India is home to such automakers as Tata, Maruti Suzuki and Mahindra. It's now been a year since the designer parted company with Fisker Automotive, which was bought by Chinese parts supplier Wangxiang for $150 million. Since then, Fisker's penned designs on an ad-hoc basis, including a high-end Mustang for Galpin and a custom motorcycle for Viking, through his new consultancy HF Design & Technology. Before starting Fisker Automotive, Henrik Fisker designed such notable machinery as the Aston Martin DB9, BMW Z8 and the ill-fated but beautiful Artega GT. He then got into the coachbuilding business, rebodying Mercedes SLs and BMW M6s for discerning and wealthy customers. News Source: Economic TimesImage Credit: Nam Y. Huh/AP Design/Style Green Fisker Henrik Fisker

Fisker Alaska electric pickup specs, price and production plans revealed

One of the more exciting vehicles that Fisker revealed earlier this month was the Alaska electric pickup. The specs look promising, and the truck has an attractive enough design, and now Fisker has even more details to share. Its size was a bit of a question before, but now we know that it measures 208.8 inches in length. That makes it a few inches shorter than most of the midsize pickups currently on the market, but a good bit larger than compact trucks like the Ford Maverick and Hyundai Santa Cruz. Basically, think of it as a small midsize pickup. Fisker also revealed that there will be two battery packs available. A 75 kWh pack will offer about 230 miles of range. The larger 113 kWh pack promises up to 340 miles on a full charge. Performance will vary depending on how you spec it, too. The slowest version of the Alaska will do the 0-60 mph run in 7.2 seconds, and the quickest will do the same in 3.9. A starting price of $45,400 is the current, expected MSRP, though Fisker makes it clear that this and all the other specs it laid out today are “targeted specifications.” Basically, donÂ’t be surprised to see all these numbers change a bit once Fisker gets closer to a launch date. Fisker says the Alaska will be manufactured in the U.S. (presumably with the goal of qualifying for the federal EV tax credit). As for when the Alaska hits the market, said production is claimed to begin in the first quarter of 2025. Those interested can reserve one for $250, and if you really love this truck so much already, you can reserve a second one for only an additional $100.  Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Tesla Model S Plaid 2022 review and reaction

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.