Comments on: Fisker: Karma to average 67 mpg

By: JPizzzle

JPizzzle — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 20:47:37 +0000

The reason for the noise is safety for pedestrians. I believe it is a regulation that vehicles must make certain amounts of sound so people can hear them. They complain when car enthusiasts are too loud and when they are too quiet! Stupid rules! ha

By: FiskerAutomotive

FiskerAutomotive — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 14:17:48 +0000

Thanks for the post! It’s important to note that the big news here, just before the Frankfurt Motor Show, is the CO2 output, which at 83g CO2/km is lower than currently available hybrids. That’s super important to the European market, where Fisker will be selling half its cars. It’s also important here in the US, but doesn’t get as much publicity. Also note the mileage figures are combined city/highway, and very conservative. And it was Fisker Coachbuild that was building the Latigo and Tramonto, which are no longer in production. While Fisker Coachbuild is still an active automotive design house, Fisker Automotive is a separate company creating automobiles based on proprietary chassis and plug-in powertrain technology.

By: F50

F50 — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 12:32:56 +0000

I like it, I really like the design.

By: 2WheeledSpeed

2WheeledSpeed — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 01:33:45 +0000

Why should the car make any noise at all if it’s electric? Just do what Beatus said and turn up your music of choice if you’re THAT worried about pedestrians.

By: beatusmongous

beatusmongous — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 23:47:54 +0000

I love Thanksgiving for that reason. There’s nothing like shooting your own turkey. You hunker down quietly, sneaking up on a group of turkeys, and then you pop up and fire away. The shotgun goes, “BLAM!” It’s great. And then the look of horror on everyone’s face as they stare at you while they hide behind the end caps in the freezer section of the grocery store…

By: leftwingagenda

leftwingagenda — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 22:21:10 +0000

uh oh, beatus opens up the gun control debate…look out!

By: scratchy

scratchy — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 20:53:39 +0000

i wonder what the range of this thing is when you use the Stereo and the AC at the same time.

By: beatusmongous

beatusmongous — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 20:00:53 +0000

Blam! Blam!

Sorry. I thought it was hunting season.

By: leftwingagenda

leftwingagenda — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 19:59:12 +0000

quack, quack!

By: volo

volo — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 19:37:26 +0000

never mind i got confused with the beginning of the article which is extremely misleading.
“Fisker says that its 403-horsepower Karma high-performance luxury hybrid will average an impressive 67 mpg ”
[...]
“Specific horsepower figures have not been disclosed”

so it’s basically a an electric vehicle with a range extender, so it begins to be more realistic.

By: volo

volo — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 19:26:17 +0000

all their engineers have an Art or psychology diploma or what? How in the world can you do 600miles with 100mpg with a car developping 403 hp? You at 30mph on the highway with braking as much as possible to regenerate the battery? Hybrid is ****ing useless outside city, you only need to carry the extra useless load for nothing. I really think that marketing guys should be hanged.

By: Cardemon04

Cardemon04 — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 18:45:00 +0000

$0.03 per mile to operate?!?! what is Fisker gonna pay their customers to drive them? the gas alone will cost almost $0.04 per mile(@ $2.50/gal and 67 mpg). and that doesn’t even include service fees. wonder what other tid bits are stretched from the truth here

By: beatusmongous

beatusmongous — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 18:16:14 +0000

Why do they need speakers making engine noises? Isn’t the loud thumping from rap, heavy metal and banda music emanating from the 500 Watt stereo inside the car enough to warn people?

By: johnnycanuck

johnnycanuck — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 18:15:43 +0000

…and the Fisker goes moo.

By: Blakkarr

Blakkarr — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 18:14:18 +0000

A4 @ 09/08, 10:30a

I am determined to believe that the VOLT’s 230mpg rating is not a real estimate of actual fuel economy. It’s more like a cost per mile rating put to terms that are supposed to be easily understood but are put in easily misinterpreted F/econ terms.

I think the VOLT will pull anywhere from 75-115mpg in real world driving. Still awesome but more believable as well. I will stand by this until the VOLT comes out and I am proven in error.

Still the GEVs are looking to be the real deal.

By: 05Z88Path

05Z88Path — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 17:19:16 +0000

^^it should make the sound it’s engine makes…smartass.

By: worst 3

worst 3 — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 17:11:55 +0000

would love to have this car as a daily driver. love to see more cars like this on the road in the future that are hybrids. cars that are not small and have power behind them and have respectable mpg just not the price. some day

By: SomeGreek

SomeGreek — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 16:55:07 +0000

Me too Sector.

By: leftwingagenda

leftwingagenda — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 16:47:59 +0000

what sound should a car make, then? quack like a duck?

By: 2WheeledSpeed

2WheeledSpeed — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 16:15:06 +0000

Even with the pedestrian safety excuse, the speakers producing fake engine noises is stupid…

Cool car otherwise.

By: A4

A4 — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 15:52:47 +0000

05Z88, it already has, you can buy speakers that make the spooling and blow off sound of a turbocharger.

By: scratchy

scratchy — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 15:30:04 +0000

05Z88Path , cars like this make the technology evolve and move to mainstream cars. we have to thank those “jacka**es” for that.

By: Sector_15504

Sector_15504 — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 15:07:48 +0000

ill believe it when it see it

By: 05Z88Path

05Z88Path — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 14:54:03 +0000

I want to hate this car b/c of the annoying jack***es who will buy it. “Look at me I’m rich, but I bought a hybrid even though gas prices don’t affect me!” But I simply can’t hate it. FIsker designs have always been beautiful, and the Karma is no exception. Plus with 400-hp, it’s a real performance sedan. The only thing that I can actually rationally dislike about the car are the speakers emitting F1 type engine noises. LAME. I wonder how long it will take for that idea to filter down to the ricer-crowd….

By: A4

A4 — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 14:49:54 +0000

I was being sarcastic, no worries

By: krautninja

krautninja — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 14:42:33 +0000

It doesnt seem so disappointing when you look at it and realize how much sexier this is than the volt, and the performance figures…worth the coinage they are askin for it thats for sure.

By: A4

A4 — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 14:36:16 +0000

Let’s hope they sell more than 5% of their target goal with this one as well.

By: A4

A4 — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 14:30:49 +0000

Well since the Volt apparently gets 230 mpg this just seems disappointing.