Back in April, Tesla filed a lawsuit against Fisker Automotive for allegedly stealing insider information having to do with the production of an electric vehicle. You may recall that Henrik Fisker was hired to style the Tesla Whitestar sedan, though his designs were ultimately rejected. About a month later, word spread that Fisker had asked to have the lawsuit enter arbitration, and a hearing was set for June 11. Fast forward to today, and the hearing apparently took place as planned and court documents show that Fisker's request for arbitration was granted.

Interestingly, those documents also reveal that the deal between Tesla and Fisker had a clause requiring the arbitration of any disagreements in a specific court. It appears that Tesla Motors went outside those terms by suing Fisker in a different court than was initially agreed upon. Not surprisingly, Henrik Fisker is "extremely pleased" with this outcome. Regardless of how things proceed between the two companies from this point forward, we can be hopeful that each company is able to bring a desirable and suitably green vehicle to market. Thanks for the tip, Doug!

[Source: CNET]

We were telling you recently about the Fisker Karma showing up in fake camo stickers as part of a PR campaign. This being the 21st century and all, video, as well as the still photos, was taken and now is available on YouTube. Said video is equipped with sound and has the Karma accelerating to the tune of something akin to twin turbines. Having heard previously that an actual running prototype of the car wouldn't be seen until closer to the sunset of 2008, we have to wonder what it is making all that racket powering this machine. Is it the rumored VW engine or an electric drivetrain? It doesn't exactly sound like the cross between a "Formula 1 car and a jet plane" that Monsieur Fisker spoke of during it's unveiling at the Detroit Auto Show. Perhaps it's just a simulation of a jet via speakers. Not being able to decide ourselves we leave it to you, the treasured reader, to let us know in your comments after viewing the video on the other side of the jump.

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.

Click above for high-res live gallery of the Fisker Karma

It's a bit ironic that the Tesla WhiteStar sedan and the Fisker Karma grace our list back-to-back as the number two and three most exciting green cars we wish we could buy today. As you're probably aware, news has surfaced that Henrik Fisker was tasked with the design of a Tesla product before being dismissed from the project. Depending on which side you believe, Fisker then either stole Tesla know-how or salvaged his work by introducing his own electric sedan, the Karma. Either way, we think the design of the Karma is amazing and hope that it does in fact see the light of day.



Ready for Number 1?

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.

Click above for more high-res images of the Fisker Karma

There is one major problem with the current list of electric or hybrid sedans on the market right now: they are seen as boring by many people. Sure, some drivers have fun in their hybrids by squeezing the most mileage that they can from a gallon of gas, and many people have a good time with the "eco-screen" that many vehicles come equipped with, but those features could hardly be described as "sexy". Henrik Fisker plans to change all of that with the Karma, his hybrid sedan capable of 125 miles per hour and a 6 second rush to 60. According to Fisker, ''For me it's important to create a vehicle that's so sexy you've just got to have it, and later you find out that you can go 80 kilometers (50 miles) without using any gas." That sounds like pretty good reasoning. For drivers who want to to be green and look good doing it, the Karma may be the perfect vehicle.

For what it's worth, we think that the Karma is a beautiful car, and sincerely hope that Fisker is able to get it into production for the end of '09 as is currently planned.

[Source: Forbes Autos]

The look of the Fisker Karma plug-in hybrid that was unveiled in Detroit today is not a surprise. We saw a sneak peek of it all the way back in October. It was on the last day of October, but still. The difference is that now we got to oooh and aaah over this expensive and sleek (and I'm tempted to say shark-like, because that's what it reminded me of) PHEV hybrid in person after the curtain dropped this afternoon. I stood in the polite scrum and shot y'all some pictures of the Karma, just in case you can't find $80,000 to buy a Karma, the first vehicle from Fisker Automotive, Inc. in a few years. The company says it hopes to sell 15,000 Karmas a year when these go on sale towards the end of 2009.

The Karma has impressive performance numbers, with a 0-60 time of under six seconds and a top speed of more than 125 mph. The vehicle is moved by something called the Q Drive, which will be found in all future Fisker Karma derivatives, and has two driving modes: Stealth Drive (a nice name for electric only) and Sport Drive (which uses both parts of the hybrid drivetrain). Should you plug the Karma in at night, you can get 50 miles of EV-only driving. Unlike most high-end sports cars in the green realm (the Tesla Roadster, for example), the Karma has four doors. Like all of the others, this will remain tantalizingly out of reach for most of us. Still, one more player in this realm never hurts.

Video on the way after the jump.

Related:

• More details on Fisker's upcoming hybrid
• Henrik Fisker goes green with ECO-CHIC plug-in vehicle

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]

Quantum Technologies is no stranger to our pages, having seen coverage as diverse as hydrogen systems for the Toyota Prius all the way through large hydrogen vans and up to hybrid vehicles for the military. Now, it seems that they have partnered with Fisker Automotive, maker of fine coach-built vehicles based on the underpinnings of luxury sports cars. The vehicles is to feature styling by Henrik Fisker, whose earlier work included various Aston Martin cars and the BMW Z8. This means that the vehicle will, at the very least, be attractive. Fisker hopes to build 15,000 plug-in hybrid "ECO-CHIC" vehicles annually at a cost of less than $100,000 each.

We are looking towards January 13, 2008, for The Detroit International Auto Show, where the vehicle is expected to be unveiled. A countdown has already started at the official Fisker website. Quantum has designed the chassis specifically for Fisker. The vehicle should be capable of charging from a standard outlet. No mention is made of specifications, so we will be sure to stay on top of this one and let you know details like expected range and speed. Is it possible that Fisker beats both Toyota or GM to market with a production plug-in electric car available for sale? If the press release is correct and the production car debuts in January of next year, it seems that they might. No matter, this is great news for those who can afford to spend six-digit sums on an automobile.

[Source: Fisker (.pdf) via Autoblog]