malcolm

Valmet to manufacture Fisker Karma - Autoblog

50 miles electric only
Overall range 350 miles
Top speed of 125 mph
0-60 time of about 5.8 seconds.

tonybelding

My previous experience with Valmet was as a manufacturer of AKM assault rifle clones. I never knew they made cars.

Chris H.

Looks like the Fisker Karma might beat the Tesla Model S to market... That wouldn't be good for TM.

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Don't forget about the real world...

TEG

Sounds like "bad Karma" to make cars at a gun factory.

graham

Potentially not good, true. But even if the Karma is delayed and the Model S comes before it they are going to be close enough that it will serve as close competition for each other. It would be nice to start hearing more solid details about both the Model S and the Karma, soon.

tonybelding

The Karma will be a plug-in hybrid. The Model S, we now know, will only be available as a purely electric car. So. . . Even though they will be competing, it seems like the distinctions between them should be pretty clear.

DDB

That's a good point. TM seems to have hinted the Model S would be a BEV, then a E-REV, then a BEV again. It'll be difficult to argue in court (or arbitration) that Fisker infringed on TM's IP when the substance of the vehicles are so different. And yes, I understand the components can be similar; but let's face it, these are very different vehicles.

The other thing is Fisker hasn't had to deal with the growing pains of production. Tesla clearly has the experience with the Roadster... Of course Fisker may be wise in outsourcing it. As for Valment, someone posted on one of these sites they manufactured Saab vehicles. I'm not sure if that's true.

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Dave

'05 Passat powered by Biodiesel
'54 Corvette

graham

True, it is not like anyone will confuse the 2 cars. And in a healthy market, they probably wouldn't be considered even in the same category.

But since the category of plug-in EV is so very small, they will definitely be compared to each other. I can't imagine someone in the market for one not at least glancing at the other.

It is something the Roadster has had the luxury of not having. If you want a plug-in car that does highway speeds, has passed NTSB standards and doesn't look terrible - you have a choice of 1. So people who are interested in plug-in cars who might never be interested in a super-high-end sports car are interested in Tesla. If the Roadster were more delayed and the Volt quicker to market, they would probably be compared against each other, as ludicrous as that would seem if they both were standard ICE cars. The Model S and the Karma are much closer to each others target market than that.

vfx

and
"The Karma will be a plug-in hybrid. The Model S, we now know, will only be available as a purely electric car. So. . . Even though they will be competing, it seems like the distinctions between them should be pretty clear."

With gas prices ever rising I'm betting that both will sell all the cars they can make in the first few years.



"Tesla clearly has the experience with the Roadster..."

Wow. Tesla is now the EV sage? How quickly they turn.

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Cobos

I'm not sure how this is with you, but for me the suggested price is a major differencing factor actually. The S will be just above what I would normalluy consider sane for a car purchase for me. The Karma is so much above it's no use dreaming. A bit like the Roadster in that regard. A car purchase shouldn't have a higher purchase price than yearly household income I beleive :) Especially not when there is a mortgage and student loans on top off that.

Cobos