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Fisker signs deal with Foxconn to build EVs in U.S. in 2023

Henrik Fisker (Reuters)   DETROIT — Electric car maker Fisker has finalized its vehicle-assembly deal with Foxconn Technology Co Ltd, including plans to open a U.S. plant in 2023, the companies said on Thursday. The plant's location has not been identified, but Fisker Chief Executive Henrik Fisker said four states are under consideration, including Foxconn's plant site in Wisconsin. Foxconn Chairman Liu Young-way previously said electric vehicles (EVs) have a "promising future" in Wisconsin but did not elaborate. The annual capacity for the U.S. plant will be at least 150,000 vehicles to start, Fisker said. "When you look back at recent history and new technology products, they have been launched in the U.S. first," Fisker said in an interview. "That's why we want to launch here." He expects the U.S. market initially to be the biggest for the vehicle. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Fisker also cited access to Foxconn's supply chain, including semiconductor chips, as an advantage of the partnership. Fisker is one of a handful of EV startups that have gone public through a reverse merger with a special-purpose acquisition company (SPAC) at a time when U.S. President Joe Biden has called for $174 billion in new spending to boost EVs and charging. Under the Fisker deal, the companies will jointly invest in "Project PEAR" (Personal Electric Automotive Revolution) and share in any profit. The companies reaffirmed Foxconn will eventually build more than 250,000 vehicles a year for Fisker across multiple sites, with initial production beginning at its U.S. plant in late 2023 which it announced in February. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. "We have world-class supply chains in place to support Project PEAR — in particular, securing the reliable delivery of chipsets and semiconductors," Liu said in a statement. The vehicle type has not been identified by Fisker, but will be based on a new lightweight platform — FP28 — designed by both companies. The five-passenger vehicle, which will be sold globally and is the second model under development, will have a starting price below $30,000 before incentives. Fisker said the vehicle would be described by some as a crossover. Terms of the deal, which runs seven years, were not disclosed.

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

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."