Fisker To Open California Plant, No Date Yet For Electric Car Production To Resume: UPDATEFisker To Open California Plant, No Date Yet For Electric Car Production To Resume: UPDATE

While all 2012 Fisker Karma extended-range electric luxury sedans were built in Finland, the company always intended to assemble cars in the U.S.
Before its collapse and bankruptcy, Fisker had bought a former General Motors plant in Delaware.
A pledge to use this facility was one factor in the successful bid for Fisker by Wanxiang, China’s largest maker of auto parts.
DON’T MISS: The New Fisker Is Live: Original Karma Owners Get Most Support
Now, however, the Chinese auto-parts supplier may have other plans.
Fisker says it will resume production of the Karma at a new facility in Southern California’s Moreno Valley, a short distance from its Costa Mesa headquarters.
The company did not give a timeline for the opening of this new plant, but said it expects to create 150 new jobs initially.
2012 Fisker Karma + Aero L-39 Albatros jet trainer, Hollister Municipal Airport, CA [by Refael Azi]
Fisker chose California in part because of the state’s enthusiasm for electric cars, chief marketing officer James Taylor said in a statement.
California offers aggressive incentives for purchase of electric cars, and its zero-emission vehicle mandate requires manufacturers to sell cars that produce no tailpipe carbon emissions.
It also hosts the headquarters and main factory for another relatively new maker of plug-in cars: Tesla Motors.
ALSO SEE: Want A Fisker Karma? Lots Of Used Ones For Sale
Taylor said that proximity to Fisker’s engineering and design departments will have benefits as well.
With the announcement of California production, the fate of Fisker’s Delaware plant remains up in the air.
Wanxiang’s previous promise to use the factory gave it the political leverage to force the remains of bankrupt Fisker into public auction, even after another bid had already been accepted.
2009 Fisker Karma prototype
Under pressure from Delaware’s Congressional delegation, U.S. Bankruptcy Court sent Fisker to public auction in 2014.
Both Wanxiang and the original bidder–Hong Kong-based Hybrid Technology Holdings–discussed Delaware production as a way to curry favor with the bankruptcy judge.
[UPDATE: Fisker communications manager Judy Hoste responded to a Green Car Reports inquiry about the factory as follows: “Regarding the plant in Delaware, we will continue to work with the City and State of Delaware for many possible further uses of the facility.”]
Last month, Wanxiang launched a new website and sent a letter to Fisker owners offering free repairs and parts.
MORE: Fisker Karma Will Be Relaunched With 2012 Design, Updates (Sep 2014)
It had previously said there were about 250 “bugs” to be fixed before Karma production could restart.
And there’s still no indication of when that will take place.
The demands of setting up a brand-new assembly plant, however, mean the Karma relaunch could still be a year or more away.
_______________________________________________
Follow GreenCarReports on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+.

View original article at : “https://www.greencarreports.com//news/1098777_fisker-to-open-california-plant-no-date-yet-for-electric-car-production-to-resume”