Fisker Karma still on track for 2009 release despite Tesla lawsuit
04/25/2008, 10:58 AM
By Drew Johnson
Fisker Coachbuild may be in the middle of a legal battle with Tesla Motors, but the electric car maker says that it is still on track to produce its Karma plug-in hybrid electric sedan by the fourth quarter of 2009. Tesla’a lawsuit claims that Fisker stole its hybrid technology and gave the company a poor design for its upcoming WhiteStar sedan.
Moreover, Fisker head Henrik Fisker says that the lawsuit is unfounded. “The lawsuit is nonsense,” Fisker said. “Fisker Coachbuild has non-exclusive design contracts as shown by the cars we have designed for a variety of manufacturers.”
Fisker also released a statement defending its hybrid technology. Fisker Coachbuild notes that it developed its hybrid powertrain with Quantum Technologies, a company that has also designed an electric vehicle for the U.S. Army Special Operations.
The press release failed to address the alleged poor design of the WhiteStar, probably for legal reasons.
04/25, 11:22 AM
posted by:
F451
I do not know what to expect from Fisker. If the lawsuit holds water then I have lost respect for him and his products. Not a big fan of Tesla because they never met any real benchmarks, price points, or useable reality, but the intellectual property stills belongs to Tesla.