The first Fisker Karma extended-range electric saloon for a UK customer will soon be delivered to the so far unnamed premiership footballer.
This means the California-based company has also set up its first service outlet so at least there will be someone to look after it. Currently there are no UK dealers.
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Barny Koehler, chief executive of Fisker’s European business, and a co-founder of the company along with Aston Martin DB9 and V8 Vantage designer Henrik Fisker, said it was important to establish service outlets for the car first.
He said: “The cars are left hand drive only and, in the short term, we can handle sales from Europe but we are talking to a number of parties in the UK who are interested in establishing dealerships.”
Fisker and Koehler established the new car company in 2007 and developed the Karma, a series hybrid with two-litre turbocharged four cylinder petrol engine which acts as a generator when the lithium-ion battery pack – that drives a pair of rear mounted electric motors – runs out of charge.
As well as looking great, the car boasts impressive performance. Total power is 397hp with a huge 959lb ft of torque. It can do the 0-60mph sprint in 6.3sec and reach a top speed limited to 125mph.
All this at over 60 miles to the gallon while emitting 53g/km of CO2.
The fledgling carmaker has not been without its problems this year, however, with a battery recall and a fire in one vehicle caused by a fan malfunction.
Koehler said: “These are things you have to deal with as a car company. But we dealt with the battery issue in record time in the US, carrying out the work in just two weeks.”
Just to make it a really bad year, Fisker also lost 300 Karmas to Hurricane Sandy a few weeks ago.
The cars are made in Finland by contract assembler Valmet and Fisker Europe is based in Munich, Germany.
