In the battle for the luxury EV sedan market, you might think that the Tesla Model S was out in front. It seems to get all the press these days thanks to the company's recent IPO and high-profile founder, Elon Musk.
In reality, the Fisker Karma appears to have a far greater chance of actually coming to market. The company unveiled the first factory-built version of its Karma luxury sedan at the 2010 Paris Auto Show. And as you can see from these pictures, the car looks very much finished.
There's a real suspension underneath the car and a very functional looking Ecotec 2.0-liter under the hood. The Karma uses a setup similar to the Chevrolet Volt where the batteries are charged by the gasoline generator engine after the initial charge is depleted.
The interior looked nearly complete as well. There were a few odds and ends that still looked like they had some finishing work still left, but for the most part everything seemed functional. The doors opened and closed with a standard clunk and the buttons and switches were clearly production units and not concept show pieces.
With the Tesla Model S still two years away, the Fisker Karma S looks like it will have quite the head start. We'll see if that means a first mover advantage, or if the Karma merely paves the way for the less expensive Tesla sedan.
insideliner says:
06:51 PM, 10/ 3/10
Alright, they're only 4 month away from production and Fisker has been pretty consist with their releases, save a few snags. I think we can stop speaking like it's vaporware. If it is, it's the most convincing vaporware yet.