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Fisker looks set to keep its promise to put its Karma hybrid saloon into production next year, according to these spy shots.
The sleek four-door was photographed undergoing durability tests in California. Fisker claims the first 99 cars have already been sold, and says that they should reach their owners by the end of next year.
The Karma uses lithium-ion batteries to power an electric motor driving the rear wheels. But the idea is for owners to plug the car in to the mains every day, which gives a 50-mile range if the car is fully charged. Fisker maintains that most people’s daily commute is less than this – a claim backed up by GM, which is aiming for a 40-mile range for the Chevrolet Volt.
Like the Volt’s powerplant, the Karma’s battery can be topped up by a small petrol engine, likely to be a Volkswagen 1.4-litre four-cylinder, which acts as a generator to give it a potential range of 300 miles. Options will include solar panels for your house to provide free, green power to charge the car.
Although the cars are designed and built in the US, Fisker wants 50 per cent of the projected 15,0000-unit production total to be sold overseas; it has appointed its first European importer, based in Italy. The car will cost €80,0000 (£63k) and European deliveries are scheduled to start in 2010.
Dan Stevens
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