New Fisker Model To Be Announced Soon?

Companies specializing in alternative fuels are hitting some good times as of late, even in spite of the relatively low fuel prices. Bitter rival Tesla has taken a lot of new orders for the Model S, gotten a Department of Energy loan guarantee to produce it, and has hit profitability for the first time.

Fisker on the other hand, has taken a different tack, forging ahead with it's Karma range-extended vehicle. It still has similar goals though to produce low-cost vehicle, and has applied for a Department of Energy loan to meet that. Henrik Fisker, Fisker's founder and namesake, has spoken a lot about his desire to produce one. Could we be near an announcement?

We already know that Tesla has a model in the works that is even cheaper than the Model S. Fisker skipped the high-end roadster introduction, going straight to a sedan, so it seems like they might be much closer to the goal of a truly affordable vehicle than Tesla.

Earth2Tech has a report out quoting Ray Lane, a Kleiner Perkins investor, as saying Fisker will be making an announcement about the $39,000 car possibly as soon as this week or next. He let the comments slip at the AlwaysOn Going Green conference in Sausalito, California last Tuesday.

If true, it could mean that Fisker has received the Department of Energy loan guarantee that it applied for. Henrik Fisker was quoted as saying “If we get the DOE loan we will start the project this year. . . It could be in the market in as little as 26 months from when we start.”

Giving Fisker a loan also would give both Tesla and Fisker fair chance to succeed and see which one (or both) wins in the marketplace if given enough money to see their projects through. It would also continue the rivalry that has started.

In addition, the announcement of a new vehicle program and the security of a government loan guarantee would no doubt provide a boost for Fisker's current effort with the Karma as well. Increase in orders? No doubt. If Fisker doesn't get the loan, I'd imagine there would be some government criticism going on about why Tesla got it and Fisker didn't.

I hope this report is true, I want to hear something from Fisker soon. If the car does make it to production, it'll be very interesting seeing how it is positioned. Will it really have the "Wow!" factor anymore, considering that similar vehicles from major automakers like the Chevrolet Volt will be in production by that time? Bottom line - I think Fisker should get the loan, so it can continue to duke it out with Tesla. May the best car win!