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Wanxiang Group, which bought electric car pioneer Fisker Automotive from bankruptcy, is accelerating the relaunch of Fisker’s Karma hybrid luxury car. Photo: AFP

Wanxiang to relaunch Fisker’s Karma hybrid car, sources say

Chinese auto parts producer Wanxiang Group is accelerating the relaunch of Fisker’s Karma hybrid luxury car by using a design from the company’s last year of production, people close to the companies said.

Chinese auto parts producer Wanxiang Group, which bought stylish electric car pioneer Fisker Automotive from bankruptcy, is accelerating the relaunch of Fisker’s Karma hybrid luxury car by using a design from the company’s last year of production, people close to the companies said.

Wanxiang aims to reintroduce by next year Fisker’s electric cars, which enjoyed a cult following for their streamlined design among early fans including actor Leonardo DiCaprio and pop star Justin Bieber before the company’s demise last year.

The “new” Karma that California-based Fisker, acquired by Wanxiang earlier this year, is rushing to finish is based largely on the 2012 model, the sources said. Wanxiang’s top US executive said in February the Karma would be reintroduced within a year.

“It will have to be nearly identical to the 2012 model, or it would need to go through (safety) testing and certification again,” a person close to Fisker’s suppliers said. “I don’t think they want to put a lot of engineering into it either, as well as probably use up some of the old parts that are in inventory.”

Co-founded by Danish designer Henrik Fisker in 2007, Fisker had a mission to build a beautiful, “green” car that could rival exclusive European brands like Maserati and Aston Martin.

The company was an early rival of Tesla Motors but their fortunes went in opposite directions. A series of missteps and recalls led to disappointing sales for Fisker and eventually the company’s bankruptcy filing. Wanxiang acquired Fisker’s assets for US$149.2 million in a US bankruptcy auction in February.

In Wanxiang’s effort to revive the brand, the timeline could be at risk. Some of Fisker’s old suppliers, which the Chinese company has contacted, remain angry because of losses suffered due to Fisker’s failure, the sources said.

“They lost money and had dedicated facilities that were severely underutilised,” a second person with knowledge of the matter said. “Many scrapped their tools or took them out of their facilities.”

Fisker does not plan to simply reintroduce the 2012 Karma, a source close to Fisker said. “Not 100 per cent identical,” the person said. “The new Karma will be different in many key areas. It will have noticeable upgrades.” He declined to provide details.

Using the 2012 Karma design could present problems given it has older features and technologies. “You’re not buying something that’s considered state of the art necessarily,” the supplier source said. “It’s a big hurdle to overcome.”

A Wanxiang spokesman declined to comment on Thursday. People at Fisker’s California headquarters, where about 90 people work, said on Thursday they were not authorised to speak to the media.

A third source said Fisker has the necessary funding thanks to Wanxiang’s backing. The source close to Fisker said the company was hiring people in the United States but declined to provide further details.

However, several sources were sceptical Fisker can meet the timeline laid out in February by Pin Ni, the head of Wanxiang’s US unit. The source close to Fisker said the carmaker needs to resolve issues related to suppliers and production location. He declined to elabourate but said Fisker was “not there yet”.

Ni said in February that Fisker planned to restart Karma production in Finland, where Valmet Automotive previously built the cars under contract, and start selling them again in the United States and Europe.

The Karma, a hybrid-electric vehicle equipped with a small petrol engine that kicks in when its on-board battery is depleted, previously had a starting price of about US$100,000. About 1,800 Karma cars were sold, far short of initial projections of 11,000.

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