When was the last time you saw this?

"Torque Affair" (torqueaffair)
06/04/2014 at 00:04 • Filed to: fisker, hybrid, karma

It's a shame that Fisker went bankrupt. The Fisker Karma is so beautiful that has such a magnificent presence. I'm not sure what the concept version looked like, but the car looks like it went straight from concept to production without any changes.

Maybe part of my fascination with the car is that I basically never see this car.

Henrik Fisker co-founded the company and almost immediately faced a number of problems. The worst part was when Hurricane Sandy took place and destroyed a shipment of hundreds of Fisker Karmas. This was the last straw that drove the company into bankruptcy.

The Wanxiang Group ended up buying Fisker, so the cars will be coming back in 2015. Lu Guanqiu, its founder said that he will spend as much of his fortune as needed to make this succeed. That's a quite a bold statement so we'll see what happens.

Series Hybrid

There are two 201 hp electric motors going to the rear wheels that are powered by batteries. The batteries can also be charged by a generator hooked up to a gas engine that you find in a Chevy Cruze. The end result is that they complement each other and the gas engine can charge the batteries if they run out of juice.

Up to 1000 lb-ft of torque can be generated by the electric motors driving the wheels! That's a lot of torque but the car is also really heavy.

Fisker Features

There are lots of little things about the Karma that I found fascinating. For example, the batteries run through the center console which is kind of cool. the downside is that it cuts down on interior space.

I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the interior - everything seemed to be well put together without any noticeable rattling.

This car has 2 modes – sport mode and stealth mode. During "stealth" mode, there is a finely tuned noise (carefully developed by Fisker engineers) emanating from the speakers outside the car making it sound like a spacecraft. Apparently, European regulations required that a vehicle must create some kind of noise to alert pedestrians.

In "stealth mode", the car only uses the battery to power the electric motor to turn the rear wheels. In "sport mode", the internal combustion engine kicks on to add to the power driving the electric motors. If I owned this car that's the mode that I'd drive in…must have my 1000 lb-ft of torque at all times.

Now, these are enormous 22 inch wheels. Typically, you would expect the ride to be harsh on these humongous wheels. But the Fisker suspension is perfect - the ride was great and luxurious inspite of these gigantic rims and low profile tires.

People have actually thought that the diamond-shaped fixtures on the rear bumper are exhaust pipes! Of course they're not, but I'm glad they're there - adds to the look of the car.

I think the solar panel on the roof is pretty cool. It charges the battery and also powers a fan that runs when the car is shut off and parked. Something like this very useful in a place like Austin, Texas where it gets really hot in the summer.

It's unfortunate that Fisker had to go bankrupt. This was a tremendously risky bet. Although Tesla came out ahead, Elon Musk has mentioned in repeated interviews that he was one step away from having to close up shop. In Fisker's case, unfortunately there was no other option.

I guess we'll see what the future of Fisker holds with its upcoming revival. I'm really hoping that Wanxiang is able to keep Fisker moving forward with future models. I always want to see more cars out there that look as good as the Fisker Karma.

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DISCUSSION (29)

PheeNoIVI > Torque Affair
06/04/2014 at 00:14

They are sweet. When they actually work. But I wonder if they drive like a boat because of their weight.

Big Bubba Ray > Torque Affair
06/04/2014 at 00:14

My friend's dad owns one. It's the only one I've ever seen in St. Louis. Whenever I go to her house I sneak to the garage to get a peek haha

Torque Affair > PheeNoIVI
06/04/2014 at 00:20

Yeah, I didn't drive it, but the owner of this car has surprisingly had almost no problems.

Torque Affair > Big Bubba Ray
06/04/2014 at 00:21

Yeah, these are definitely few and far between

PheeNoIVI > Torque Affair
06/04/2014 at 00:22

Sounds like a lucky guy! That's good to hear though

Alfalfa > Torque Affair
06/04/2014 at 00:27

It's a damn fine looking car, for sure. There's been one for sale here in Utah for at least a few months. I'm going to venture a guess and say that he hasn't managed to sell it yet.

twinturbobmw > Torque Affair
06/04/2014 at 00:27

I think I've only seen 3 or 4, although I do love these cars. Too bad they're under-appreciated.

Kinja'd!!!

Alfalfa > Alfalfa
06/04/2014 at 00:30

I take that back, the ad finally disappeared. He either sold it, or gave up.

Squid > Torque Affair
06/04/2014 at 00:32

I used to see these fairly regularly when they first came out. They definitely have a great presence to them.

Torque Affair > Alfalfa
06/04/2014 at 00:34

I wonder what the market is for one of these...

Torque Affair > twinturbobmw
06/04/2014 at 00:35

They really are. I guess they weren't around long enough for people to really appreciate them.

V8soundRIOT- Now Has a V8 > Torque Affair
06/04/2014 at 00:45

The only one I have seen was in Celebration, Florida. However, it was eclipsed by the presence of Maserati GranCabrio/ GranTurismo Convertible.

Alfalfa > PheeNoIVI
06/04/2014 at 01:00

A friend of mine got to drive one, and said they handled very well. He's also a little too attached to his HHR, so you should take that with a grain of salt...

SPNKiX > Torque Affair
06/04/2014 at 01:24

I saw one at Legoland last week... not made of Lego.

Fookin' Prawns > Torque Affair
06/04/2014 at 03:35

Funnily enough, I saw a red one on my way to class. As ridiculous as the grille is, the car is gorgeous.

jkm7680 > Torque Affair
06/04/2014 at 06:14

I've seen one on sale, and two at the local Cars & Coffee.

spanfucker retire bitch > Torque Affair
06/04/2014 at 07:25

Kinja'd!!!

That's a lot of sidewall on a 22" wheel. Especially on a sedan.

Torque Affair > spanfucker retire bitch
06/04/2014 at 07:33

yea that's a good point. the entire car is so massive.

Torque Affair > jkm7680
06/04/2014 at 07:34

I saw this particular one at the local cars & coffee

Torque Affair > Fookin' Prawns
06/04/2014 at 07:34

I agree - the only thing I would change would be the front grill.

TotallyThatStupid > Torque Affair
06/04/2014 at 08:21

I've seen a couple still running around the Minneapolis Twin Cities area. Neat looking car, cool build details, but I wonder if they are stilling completely "working" - software updates, etc.

Torque Affair > TotallyThatStupid
06/04/2014 at 08:25

The software is actually a little buggy. I think it always has been - company went bankrupt before they would fix everything.

RazoE > Torque Affair
06/04/2014 at 09:30

There are a few Teslas and Karma's here at work, they are definitely beautiful!

66671 - 200 [METRIC] my dash > Torque Affair
06/04/2014 at 10:20

Almost exactly a year ago (or 2 cant remember), one was at the Yorkeville exotic show in Toronto, anyone going this year? I am!

Torque Affair > RazoE
06/04/2014 at 12:32

A few Karmas? Nice!!

Axial > Torque Affair
06/04/2014 at 13:51

Last time I saw one was at Katie's a few months ago.

Fisker always struck me as the Maserati to Tesla's Mercedes. Less precise, more flair.

Torque Affair > Axial
06/04/2014 at 20:14

Never thought of thinking about it that way but you're right! It is quite Maserati-like.

Fed(oo=[][]=oo)uken > Torque Affair
07/11/2014 at 08:55

Before he went electric, there were coachbuilt versions of German luxo-rockets. So cool.

Kinja'd!!!

Torque Affair > Fed(oo=[][]=oo)uken
07/11/2014 at 18:14

ooooh...thats pretty nice looking!