Fisker’s $30M Parts Order Puts Karma Back On TrackFisker’s $30M Parts Order Puts Karma Back On Track

Plug-in hybrid/electric vehicles are no strangers to the vaporware syndrome: a product is announced, promised to be the best ever, raises funds, then fails to materialize–or does so at an incredibly slow pace. But Fisker’s Karma looks set to defy the odds if a new $30 million parts order for the Karma’s Q-Drive powertrain is any indication.
Fisker’s stunning design and impressive performance goals have made it one of the top future cars to watch for years now. After a live demonstration at Laguna Seca this Spring, the project seemed to lose momentum. With the new parts order, however, Fisker has taken a clear step toward construction of the Karma on a full-production scale, and it now looks like it may hit its initial delivery target of late 2010 for a small batch, perhaps up to 100 cars.
Full production won’t ramp up until February 2011, according to Quantum, the parts manufacturer Fisker is using to supply the key Q-Drive components.
Fisker certainly shouldn’t be hurting for funding at this point, having secured a $528.7 million loan through the Department of Energy in April. Only time will tell if Fisker can make the move from plug-in hybrid designer to actual carmaker–and meet some sort of profitable business model–in what has proven to be one of the toughest economic climates for the car industry in decades.
For more on the Fisker Karma plug-in hybrid sedan, check out our previous coverage.
[Quantum Fuel Systems Technologies]

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