Amid all the glum news from the auto industry this week, we have something to look forward to. A gorgeous, ultra fuel-efficient hybrid that seemed like a pipe dream just a year ago is about to make its debut as an actual production car.
Autoblog explains, "Just one short year after Fisker debuted its plug-in hybrid Karma show car at the Detroit Auto Show," the startup automaker "will be returning to the Motor City to debut the production version of its ambitious project." The Karma is a large, sporty hybrid luxury sedan that, according to its designers, boasts a zero-to-sixty time of 5.8 seconds. The car uses a 22.6 kWh electric motor, combined with a 2.0-liter turbocharged four cylinder engine borrowed from the Chevy Cobalt SS.
Unlike traditional hybrids, the engine doesn't power the wheels, however. Instead, AutoWeek explains, "much like the E-REV system on GM's coming Volt, it merely serves to charge the lithium-ion battery pack of the Karma's electric drivetrain, one with two electric motors that Fisker says produces a peak output 408 horsepower and an incredulous 959 ft-lb. of torque."
The car is stunning. Motor Trend writes, "With a design guy in charge of the company--former Aston Martin and BMW guru Henrik Fisker--the production car is nearly identical to the eye-catching concept unveiled at the Detroit auto show in 2008." The result, MT writes, is "traffic-stopping curb appeal."
AutoWeek loves it as well. "On styling alone, the $87,900 Karma seems a steal," AW writes. "It looks like an Italian GT design study; the headlights are pure Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano, while the rest could double for a Maserati GranTurismo or an Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione, depending on the angle."
The company has already begun selling the car, though it hasn't yet delivered Karmas to customers. CEO Henrik Fisker told the U.K.'s Autocar "that the $87,900 Karma was sold out until mid-2010 and that deliveries would begin in November next year."
Whether the car works as advertised or not, Jalopnik says, it will be a huge media hit at the February show. "If we take out our crystal ball and look forward two months, the big three will have their precious loans in hand, Barack Obama will have solved global warming and given everyone a puppy that craps rainbows, and the 2009 Fisker Karma will be fighting the 2010 Toyota Prius and the 2010 Honda Insight for bragging rights as press darlings of the 2009 Detroit Auto Show."
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