Fisker Karma

#210, Ira Spector, proud 2012 Fisker Karma owner

Ira Spector owns a rare car he sometimes compares to a cute dog. It’s a term of endearment. When he’s driving his 2012 Fisker Karma Revero everyone wants to know all about it. “It’s like a puppy; people stop you and they engage you,” said Spector, who likely owns the only Revero in Los Gatos. “They ask questions; it’s kind of fun. Most of them have never seen it before. Others who have seen one may think the company is bankrupt and that they’re longer built.” Rare, Beautiful Spector is our guest on this episode of The Weekly Driver Podcast. Co-hosts Bruce Aldrich talk with the car’s owner, his enjoyment of sports cars and his automotive passion for his Fisker

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Leonardo DiCaprio: green car, issue advocate chided

Leonardo DiCaprio is a well-known proponent of global warming issues. But the Academy Award winner is being criticized for his approach to hosting his Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation Annual Gala To Fund Climate and Biodiversity Projects. The occasion will be held July 20 at the Bertaud Belieu Vineyards on the French Riviera. The actor is flying is top celebrity guests from around the world. Critics of DiCaprio, including the Daily Mirror newspaper in England, report guests’ travel will result in substantial overload of carbon dioxide greenhouse gas emissions. The reception list includes: actors Kate Hudson, Charlize Theron, Cate Blanchett, Marion Cotillard, Penelope Cruz, Robert De Niro, Scarlett Johansson, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Kevin Spacey. A host of international rock and pop stars,

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Hurricane Sandy damage: 200,000 cars destroyed by fire, water

The devastation of Hurricane Sandy not only affected the business of numerous auto dealerships but it’s estimated about 200,000 vehicles will have to be replaced, including  15,000 new Nissan and Infiniti models and 338 Fisker Karma models. The loss of the Fisker Karma units, including 16 in a fire, while small in numbers represented nearly $35 million, since the base of the specialty car is $103,000. According to a Fisker Karma spokesperson: “Fisker engineers determined that the damage to the Karmas was the result of the cars being submerged under five to eight feet of seawater for several hours that left corrosive salt in a low‑voltage Vehicle Control Unit in one Karma.  The Vehicle Control Unit is a standard component

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Leonardo DiCaprio, Fisker announce equity marriage for plug-in hybrid

Leonardo DiCaprio, the three-time Oscar nominated actor and celebrity environmentalist, has become an equity investor and brand ambassador for Fisker Automotive, the manufacturer of the Karma plug-in hybrid. The timing of DiCaprio’s involvement is curious since the California-based carmaker recently expanded its recall of its $103,000 Karma because of the incorrectly positioned hose clamps. The recall represents more than 25 percent of the estimated number of Karma’s sold. “DiCaprio will work closely with marketing and promotional initiatives to bring attention to sustainability and environmental issues around the world,” Fisker Automotive said in a press release. “In turn, Fisker will support the work of the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation.” Fisker Automotive didn’t specify how much DiCaprio invested in the company, nor how

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Justin Bieber gets 2012 Fisker Karma as surprise 18th birthday gift on Ellen DeGeneres Show

Justin Bieber has joined an expanding list of celebrities who own Fisker Karma cars. The pop singer was presented with one of the exclusive $100,000 plug-in hybrids for his 18th birthday March 1 as a surprise gift on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. “You work really really hard,” his manager, Scooter Braun, said during the presentation. “I always yell at you, ‘Don’t get anything flashy!’ You know, we’re not about that. Be humble, be humble. And I kind of broke my own rule.” Bieber looked shocked when he walked toward the vehicle. “That’s for me?! That’s crazy!” Actor Leonardo DiCaprio received the first Fisker Karma made. Former vice-president Al Gore and former Secretary of State Colin Powell also own the unique

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Fisker Karma, 2012: 'The Most Interesting Car in the World?' (video)

Dan Neil, author of the automotive column Rumble Seat in The Wall Street Journal, is now also part of the publication’s new video channel on YouTube call “Off Duty.” Like the publication’s print section of the same name, the new video component features lifestyle videos about music, fashion, and cars. Neil’s first contribution is a test drive of the 2012 Fisker Karma, the $100,000, four-seat plug-in hybrid. Built in Finland, the Fisker Karma is partly-funded by U.S. taxpayers. Neil, who won the 2004 Pulitzer Prize for Criticism, describes the vehicle in glowing terms. But he also includes his usual share of criticism. In one passage of his print review, Neil writes: “Meet the world’s most interesting car. Every square centimeter

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2012 Fisker Karma Review: Six-figure, four-seat hybrid sports car turns heads

Your dream car may just have arrived. The stunning new 2012 Fisker Karma low-slung sedan looks like a futuristic experimental car. Moreover, it’s a “green” gas/electric plug-in model with a fairly long driving range. I found the Karma to be a head-turner at a media preview of it on a variety of Los Angeles area roads. No wonder actor Leonardo DiCaprio bought one of the first ones, following the old Hollywood tradition of stars driving the most coveted cars. The approximately $104,000 Karma feels solid as a rock and is beautifully assembled, inside and out, although the low front end can be damaged by moderately high curbs if a driver isn’t careful. And the standard eco-friendly dashboard material looks rather

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Fisker Automotive money woes complicate hybrid Karma, Nina development

Fisker Automotive in Fall 2009 was granted a $528 million low-interest loan by the Department of Energy for development and production of next generation plug-in hybrids, the Fisker Karma and Nina. One requirement for the massive funding was that Fisker meet certain deadlines, or milestones, for production of the Karma sedan. When those deadlines were not met, the DOE required modification of the loan terms to incorporate new deadlines for the company’s second car, the Nina. Meanwhile, Fisker had to layoff some its workforce as reworking of the loan takes place between the hybrid carmaker and the DOE. Twenty-six people at the Delaware plant and a number of contract engineers at Fisker headquarters located in Anaheim, California, were cut from

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Ashton Kutcher goes green with Fisker Karma TV role

Ashton Kutcher is a spokesperson for digital cameras, among other products, and the former child actor married to Demi Moore is among the most popular celebrities on Twitter. Now he’s also given Fisker Automotive its biggest dose of mainstream exposure. The 2012 Fisker Karma was featured for the first time Sept. 26 in what is scheduled as a recurring role in the newly revamped television program Two And a Half Men. In its supporting role, the Fisker Karma is driven by Kutcher’s character, Walden Schmidt. Kutcher replaced Charlie Sheen, who departed the show in controversy last year during his reign as the highest paid actor on television. The Fisker Karma is a plug-in hybrid luxury sports sedan from the Los

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Fisker Karma production begins in Finland, April U.S. debut

Production of the Fisker Karma extended-range electric vehicle has begun in Finland and delivery of cars is expected in the United States in April, according to several automotive web sites. The Karma will reportedly travel 50 miles on a full charge and will have a beginning price at $88,000. “We’re going to be ramping up very slowly, very carefully to ensure quality. This year we want to get over 7,000 deliveries,” Roger Ormisher, Fisker spokesman said in a press release. A report by AutoWeek detailed Fisker’s plans to offer an a stock IPO this year, and the Anaheim, California-based company recently secured an additional $150 million in funding. The new funding will help develop other models, including the Nina sedan,

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