Fisker Karma, A Luxurious Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle
Posted by in Fisker on July 1, 2011
The Fisker Karma is the most luxurious and high end PHEV available for sale in the United States. Electric cars haven’t always been the most comfortable vehicles to drive, but Fisker Automotive is changing that with the Fisker Karma. People who crave luxurious cars can finally have the best of both worlds; the green energy of an electric auto and the magnificent driving experience they want.
Fisker Karma plug-in hybrid electric vehicles are rolling off an assembly line in Finland.
Former Aston Martin designer Henrik Fisker proudly unveiled his original Karma PHEV at the 2008 North American International Auto Show. It was an exciting concept, and it set the bar for other manufacturers. Going into 2012, the Karma is ready for full production, and it promises to be a very exciting year.
Valmet Automotive, current manufacturer of the Porsche Cayman and the Porsche Boxster sports cars, will be proudly assembling the Karma Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle. Buyers can rest assured that their cars have been assembled by teams of highly skilled and professional artisans who have years of experience behind them.
Funding rescheduling forced Fisker Automotive to delay the release date of the Karma by two years. Originally slated to hit showroom floors in late 2009, the company now has initial deliveries scheduled for March 2011. President Obama has a clear goal of seeing one million electric vehicles on the roads by the end of his administration. Together with Gov. Jack Markell, Fisker Automotive was lent $550 million to help them get the cars into showrooms. The Karma sports sedan retails at $96,000 and has already rolled off Finland assembly line. The company’s goal is to produce 115,000 cars over the next few years, and experts question if that goal is perhaps a little too aggressive.
Fisker Automotive, however, is undeterred. Not only did they roll out the Karma S convertible, a hardtop and stylish two door convertible, at the 2009 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Michigan, they are also planning another luxurious green auto called the Nina. The Nina Fisker will be a modestly priced $50,000 sedan and the Boxwood Road plant will have the honor of producing it. The company is also planning on releasing an SUB and a coupe in the next few model years.
These are all lofty goals for a company that is essentially brand new and just getting started. Even wit the government assistance being provided and the incredibly exciting cars they are going to offer, it is still a challenge. The technology is revolutionary, and not yet fully embraced. Some analysts feel that the venture is doomed to failure, given the high price tags and the lack of public awareness about what these cars can really do.
The Karma is a brilliant electric luxury car, and it needs brilliant marketing to get the target audience into the showrooms. It’s important that Fisker Automotive review the fate of the Smart Fortwo vehicle. A great design, the marketing was not effective and the sales proved to be lower than anticipated.
Three long years have passed since Henrik Fisker lent his experience designing Aston Martins to creating a luxurious plug-in electric hybrid vehicle. The road has been long and challenging, and it would be truly tragic to see it dead-end in failure due to ineffective marketing. The Karma features a 2.0-litre direct-injection and turbocharged four-cylinder gasoline engine that is actually produced by GM. The power is a strong 257bhp and the engine is designed to run at maximum efficiency as much as possible. The combustion engine actually works to feed a generator which then power the two drive motors. Read the rest of this entry »
Daihatsu in Europe
Posted by in Daihatsu on July 1, 2011
Daihatsu has announced that it will cease selling vehicles in Europe by 2013.
In truth, the Japanese manufacturer’s presence in the European market place and particularly in the UK has been reducing over the past couple of years.
The brand has never commanded a large proportion of the European market selling less than 60,000 units in 2007 before the recession hit. This figure dropped by around two thirds in 2010 with less than 20,000 sales in Europe.
The company’s failings are more tangible in the UK – having sold around 5,000 models in Britain in 2007 and 2,300 the year after, the Japanese manufacturer managed just 170 sales last year.
When this minority share is coupled with increasing financial strains on the manufacturer and increasing CO2 restraints that are becoming more expensive to cope with, it is easy to see why Daihatsu has decided to pull the plug on its European invasion.
Poor sales and the prevailing Yen
While the value of the Euro and the British pound has dropped, the Yen has remained strong making the export of vehicles from Japan a much more expensive business than in previous years.
The appreciation of the Yen has meant Daihatsu prices are no longer competitive and without a viable customer base there seems little point in following the likes of Nissan, Toyota and Honda in establishing foreign production plants.
A similar decision was taken by Nissan when it pulled the European Cube from its line-up while Honda has lowered its 2011 sales expectations and Toyota has already shifted production of the Prius to Thailand – all to avoid the impact of the Yen.
What does that mean for Daihatsu?
The decisions taken by Nissan, Toyota and Daihatsu all agree on the fact that the strength of the Yen has made it near impossible to continue exporting from mainland Japan.
However the fact that Nissan and Toyota have initiated less dramatic changes would imply that the real reason behind Daihatsu’s retreat from Europe is in fact a reflection of its poor reputation there.
There hasn’t been any new Daihatsu stock in the UK since 2009 and there is a similar lack of demand for the brand as well.
Fortunately for Daihatsu its major market remains in Japan and for the financial year ending in March 2009 the company recorded decent overall revenues in the face of the economic climate, only experiencing a decrease of around five per cent on the previous year. Read the rest of this entry »