Fisker delays Karma production to September 2010

Fisker's lavishly-equipped Karma plug-in hybrid sedan was supposed to be on sale now, but despite 1,500 orders from paying customers, various delays have pushed back the car's on-sale date to next September.

Assuming both Fisker and General Motors continue on track with their plug-in hybrid plans, the Karma will still beat the Chevrolet Volt to the market by a few weeks.

The Karma will be assembled beginning in May at at Valmet Automotive plant in Finland, although the company plans to begin developing a smaller U.S.-built model soon. Project Nina, as the smaller car is known, will be built in 2012 at a former GM plant in Wilmington, Delaware, thanks to a $529 million Department of Energy loan.