Come rain, come shine... come lawsuits, Fisker appears determined not to let anything get in the way of a late 2009 launch for its upcoming Karma electric sedan. Along with the spy shots over on Autocar, the first indication of what on-board powerplant will charge the batteries is mentioned: a Volkswagen 1.4 liter. No mention is made of which 1.4 liter engine is being considered for the Karma, but we'd imagine it'll be a basic engine without forced induction of any sort if we had to wager an early guess. There is also no mention of whether or not the photographed sedan was using battery power or dino power. Regardless, seeing the Fisker Karma undergoing testing in California gives a bit of a the "warm fuzzies" to those who are in anticipation of the vehicle, which, as its second place finish in our list of the Top 20 most exciting green cars proves, definitely includes AutoblogGreen.

UPDATE: For what it's worth these photos were not captured by a photographer hiding in the bushes. They were apparently actually put out by Fisker's Beverly Hills PR agency Rogers & Cowan. We still don't know anything about the mechanicals of the car in question, only that Fisker is trying to generate some buzz.

[Source: Autocar, Autoweek]

In spite of the recent lawsuit brought against Fisker Automotive Inc. by Tesla Motors, Fisker says they are still on track to deliver cars in the fourth quarter of 2009. Fisker's partners and investors in the venture are stepping up to defend the designer in the dispute and insist the Karma PHEV is still on track. The lawsuit revolves around the contract that Fisker had to design the body for Tesla's WhiteStar sedan. Tesla was apparently not satisfied with Fisker's work and ultimately chose to look elsewhere. Fisker went on to hook up with Quantum Technologies and get venture funding from Kleiner Perkins to create his own car. Tesla is alleging that Fisker used his knowledge of WhiteStar in the development of the Karma. Fisker claims all his design contracts are non-exclusive which is undoubtedly true. But even non-exclusive contracts don't give the contractor the right to use proprietary information on other projects. We here at ABG don't have any knowledge of the details of what happened between Tesla and Fisker. Tesla hasn't revealed much about the WhiteStar and Fisker hasn't said much about the technical details of the Karma. Frankly, regardless of what happens with the lawsuit, given that Fisker doesn't have a running prototype yet, a Q4 2009 delivery seems highly unlikely but we'll be waiting and watching. Fisker's latest press release is after the jump.

You know how it goes, when there's smoke... Tesla Motors is reportedly suing Fisker Automotive for stealing inside design ideas. As rumors indicated earlier this week, Henrik Fisker apparently was hired by Tesla to style their upcoming Whitestar sedan. The styling was not to Tesla's liking, either by accident or on purpose - likely depending on who you ask -- so Fisker's designs were rejected. At that time, Tesla claims that Fisker and some associates took what they learned from Tesla and started their own project, which was unveiled recently, ironically enough, as the Karma sedan.

We should point out that it's too early to know where the truth lies when it comes to this story. Tesla is suing for the money it paid Fisker for design work along with unknown damages. There's been no response as of yet from Fisker. We'll surely be keeping you up-to-date when we find out more.

[Source: The New York Times]

Although it's obvious that Fisker has a long-ways to go when it comes to moving their Karma PHEV sedan from its current conceptual stage to its hopeful production stage, Fisker has reportedly set up its first European importer: Fisker Italia. Currently, this means next to nothing, but Fisker execs say that they expect to export more than half of their cars if and when the Karma does actually go into production, so Italian fans of the sleek electric sedan can now start saving up their pennies for a hopeful debut in 2010.

Fisker continues pointing to the fourth-quarter of '09 for North American deliveries of the Karma and add that they have "received great interest from 44 North American markets in which it hopes to have retail representation." We'll just take that for what its worth and remain hopeful that Fisker is able to pull this off.

We've been bringing you news about Fisker's upcoming plug-in hybrid car since all we had to go on was the teaser site. We expected the car to be attractive, and the first photo does not disappoint. We still face a distinct lack of details on the vehicle's specifications, but we can see in the picture the outline of a slinky sedan shell with overtly sporty dimensions. Notice the long hood and short deck design as well as the flaring wheel arches. Looks great to our eyes.

Expect the Fisker to make its debut in January in Detroit. Green car consumers should some day soon have their choice between this larger sedan and the smaller, sportier Tesla Roadster. It's a good time to have a hundred grand burning a hold in your pocket...

[Source: Fisker via Autoblog via Carscoop]

If you are in the market for a plug-in hybrid sedan, and you've got at least 80 grand to spend on it... have we got good news for you! As we shared with our readers a while back, coachbuilder Fisker is planning to show off a new unique hybrid model at the next Detroit Auto Show this January. While we unfortunately still don't have any photos to show you, we are expecting the car to be quite a looker, based on other vehicles that Fisker has rolled out. Too bad the low-volumes that we expect this car will sell at are not likely to make a big dent in the cost of the technology. Oh well, we are all excited to hear about the Volt's likely production status, and the Fisker should be on the radar for those who like the technology but would never be caught dead driving a Chevy.

Related:

• Henrik Fisker goes green with ECO-CHIC plug-in vehicle

[Source: Autoblog]