Merged: Update from Fisker

[DHarris]

Many of you have been incredible enthusiasts in your passion and support of Fisker Automotive. I want to bring a couple of things to everyone’s attention. First we will be migrating our web site to a new look and feel tonight. This website is truly an early beta and I would like all of your feedback. You can e-mail me directly at dharris@fiskerautomotive.com or if you feel really passionate call me at 714-485-1283 . If you are in North America you should be able to see the new website shortly at http://www.fiskerautomotive.com. We are working on the globalization elements and will be updating our website with additional languages in the months to come. Likewise we will be updating our mobile platforms and building out an owner’s portal.

One last note to give this community a heads up I will be logging onto the forums tonight shortly after midnight (PST) to share some exciting information so stay tuned.

David Harris Fisker Automotive

[DHarris]

Its 9pm on the west coast of the United States and several of you have already provided feedback on the new site. Thank you we are working to make it more integrated and will have an area for owners and deposit holders in the future. We are utilizing the existing media site for our current news section however that is also being rebuilt and we will have a consumer news element which will incorporate social elements for the fiskerautomotive.com website. Stay tuned for some breaking news and once again thank you for your passion, patience and participation!

David Harris, Fisker Automotive

[karmafan]

NICE!!!

ANAHEIM, Calif., Sept. 1, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Fisker Automotive announced today the signing of an agreement with BMW that will cover the supply of engines and other components for future Fisker models.

BMW will supply a four-cylinder turbocharged engine for the next generation of Fisker cars, code-named 'Project Nina', which are scheduled to go into production in the re-commissioned former GM plant in Wilmington, Delaware at the end of 2012 and be on sale globally in 2013.

The agreement calls for up to 100,000 engine units per year at peak volume.

The first 'Project Nina' derivative will be a mid-size premium sedan utilizing Fisker's EVer™ (electric vehicle with extended range) technology to deliver on Fisker's corporate vision of Uncompromised Responsible Luxury.

Fisker 's CEO and Executive Design Director, Henrik Fisker, comments; "The BMW engine was an obvious choice for us, as BMW is known for producing the best and most fuel efficient gasoline engines in the world. We are very pleased to have signed this agreement with BMW."

Fisker's Chief Operating Officer, Bernhard Koehler, adds; "This is an important agreement for Fisker. We are focused on building environmentally responsible cars that deliver Pure Driving Passion to our discerning customers. Who better to be a part of this exciting 'recipe' than BMW – the makers of the Ultimate Driving Machine?"

California-based Fisker Automotive recently established a European office in Munich, Germany and has publicly stated that both the Fisker Karma Sedan and 'Project Nina' lines are global vehicles with sales likely to be split equally in the US and Europe (40% each), with Asia (20%) providing the remainder.

ABOUT FISKER AUTOMOTIVE, INC.

Fisker Automotive is an American car company, founded in 2007, committed to producing electric vehicles with extended range (EVer) that deliver Uncompromised Responsible Luxury™. The Fisker Karma Sedan is the world's first premium electric plug-in hybrid representing the company's firm belief that environmentally conscious cars need not sacrifice passion, style, or performance. Fisker Automotive is a global company that is redefining luxury for the modern sports car buyer. For more information on the brand and the Fisker Karma sedan, please go to http://fiskerautomotive.com .

Roger OrmisherDirector, Global CommunicationsMobile: +1 949.677.0682 rormisher@fiskerautomotive.com

Will PowellManager, Global CommunicationsMobile: +1 714.504.0192 wpowell@fiskerautomotive.com

Kelsey JohnsonPR SpecialistMobile: +1 714.504-0185 kjohnson@fiskerautomotive.com

SOURCE Fisker Automotive

Website: http://fiskerautomotive.com
-0- Sep/01/2011 07:00 GMT

[DHarris]

Fisker Automotive announced today the signing of an agreement with BMW that will cover the supply of engines and other components for future Fisker models.

BMW will supply a four-cylinder turbocharged engine for the next generation of Fisker cars, code-named ‘Project Nina’, which are scheduled to go into production in the re-commissioned former GM plant in Wilmington, Delaware at the end of 2012 and be on sale globally in 2013.

The agreement calls for up to 100,000 engine units per year at peak volume.

The first ‘Project Nina’ derivative will be a mid-size premium sedan utilizing Fisker’s EVer™ (electric vehicle with extended range) technology to deliver on Fisker’s corporate vision of Uncompromised Responsible Luxury.

Fisker ‘s CEO and Executive Design Director, Henrik Fisker, comments; “The BMW engine was an obvious choice for us, as BMW is known for producing the best and most fuel efficient gasoline engines in the world. We are very pleased to have signed this agreement with BMW."

Fisker’s Chief Operating Officer, Bernhard Koehler, adds; “This is an important agreement for Fisker. We are focused on building environmentally responsible cars that deliver Pure Driving Passion to our discerning customers. Who better to be a part of this exciting ‘recipe’ than BMW – the makers of the Ultimate Driving Machine?”
California-based Fisker Automotive recently established a European office in Munich, Germany and has publicly stated that both the Fisker Karma Sedan and ‘Project Nina’ lines are global vehicles with sales likely to be split equally in the US and Europe (40% each), with Asia (20%) providing the remainder.

ABOUT FISKER AUTOMOTIVE, INC.
Fisker Automotive is an American car company, founded in 2007, committed to producing electric vehicles with extended range (EVer) that deliver Uncompromised Responsible Luxury™. The Fisker Karma Sedan is the world’s first premium electric plug-in hybrid representing the company’s firm belief that environmentally conscious cars need not sacrifice passion, style, or performance. Fisker Automotive is a global company that is redefining luxury for the modern sports car buyer. For more information on the brand and the Fisker Karma sedan, please go to http://fiskerautomotive.com.

[Dutch]

That sounds good.

I wonder if we can also expect some kind of cooperation in the other direction. BMW buying technology from Fisker (like Mercedes and Toyota buy from Tesla)

[Hokiebird]

(09-01-2011 10:32 AM)DHarris Wrote:  Many of you have been incredible enthusiasts in your passion and support of Fisker Automotive. I want to bring a couple of things to everyone’s attention. First we will be migrating our web site to a new look and feel tonight. This website is truly an early beta and I would like all of your feedback. You can e-mail me directly at dharris@fiskerautomotive.com or if you feel really passionate call me at 714-485-1283 . If you are in North America you should be able to see the new website shortly at http://www.fiskerautomotive.com. We are working on the globalization elements and will be updating our website with additional languages in the months to come. Likewise we will be updating our mobile platforms and building out an owner’s portal.

One last note to give this community a heads up I will be logging onto the forums tonight shortly after midnight (PST) to share some exciting information so stay tuned.

David Harris Fisker Automotive

David,

The new website is much better than the old one. Congrats on a great start. The addition of the state incentives is very helpful, including the resource locations on where to apply for the credits. The biggest area of improvement in my eyes still lies in providing accurate photos of each color configuration in a high def photo, not some artist touched up configurator. The challenge with the configurator is that the colors are totally skewed. Without seeing all the color choices in real photos in one spot, it's more difficult to make a final color selection. On the configurator for example, the shadow and earth colors look nearly identical, but I don't think they do in sunlight in a real photo. Can Fisker at least post one photo, side shot, of each color of an actual car???? The ones you can find on Flickr that folks have taken at past auto shows have no identifiers as to what colors they are. If not on the official website, can you at least post here on the Fisker Buzz site a picture (again side view preferred so we can see the beautiful lines) of each color shot in sunlight on the street not photoshopped into a sand dune? My test drive is Tuesday in Winston Salem, NC. I am eager to see the Karma live. It's been 18 months or so since I sat in the one on the first road show. Hopefully it won't be 18 months before I sit in my own Karma! Thanks again for your help.

[brian]

(09-01-2011 11:31 PM)Hokiebird Wrote:  The biggest area of improvement in my eyes still lies in providing accurate photos of each color configuration in a high def photo, not some artist touched up configurator.

I really like the new simplified configurator, but I have to agree with Hokiebird that the colors are whacked. It looks like someone attempted a quick Photoshop color replace to do the Canyon Tri-Tone and the rendered image has nothing in common with the color swatch right below it.

When I first started considering the Karma, I was somewhat put off by the interior because the images on the old web site were so awful. Like Hokiebird said, it wasn't until I saw some real photos that other people were posting that I realized that the interior actually looks nothing like the rendered images on the web site - it actually looks great!

Other than that, everything else about the new site is a major improvement!

-Brian

[DHarris]

Everyone,

Thank you for the feedback and keep it coming. We will work on growing our gallery of images and videos of both the exterior and interior. The Diamond Dust Paint can only be appreciated in person and on a sunny day and the interiors have to be experienced to truly appreciate the craftsmanship. We will work quickly to make improvements.

David Harris Fisker Automotive

[ct-fiskerbuzz]

(09-01-2011 11:31 PM)Hokiebird Wrote:  ... The biggest area of improvement in my eyes still lies in providing accurate photos of each color configuration in a high def photo ... . Can Fisker at least post one photo, side shot, of each color of an actual car????

I can't speak for Fisker but I know something about posting photos on web sites...

First: there are a number of pretty hefty "issues" with color in general on the web. First, most consumer displays are not properly calibrated. Video monitors start out wrong and age and become wrong-er. LCD monitors are hard to calibrate. Even LED monitors fade, and "sRGB" (the default for PC monitors) was never a very good standard to begin with.

Some of these color balance issues are correctable with the newest web standards (which include "ICC profiles" in the images), provided the browser cooperates. But one is still at the mercy of the display's calibration (or lack thereof).

Second, cameras (when properly adjusted) capture what is actually in the scene, without doing the compensation that human vision does. This is why photos of snow in shade look blue, for instance: the shaded snow is blue. But when you are there in person and look at it, it looks white, because your eye and brain compensate for the surrounding (sky) blue that you can also see. The photo snips out the surroundings and the visual system compensation goes away.

In short, the colors actually change under different lighting conditions. (This is true for sun, shade, and interior lighting. It's also why you really need to experiment with materials when remodeling your house, as I am discovering lately. )

Finally, getting a photo to be "accurate" and getting it to "look good" are two entirely different processes. :-) When doing photos for printing (with four or even more colors, i.e., CMYK printing or the more elaborate versions in advertising), one uses a rather long and qualified process. You really can't do this with web images.

All that said, photos are way better than no photos...

[Edit to add: having been to the web site, yeah, the colors on the configuration screens are terrible. My laptop LCD monitor has not been calibrated in months but it does not drift very much very fast, and having seen some of the things in person and in photos, I can say that the configuration samples are seriously way off.]

[Fabulist]

(09-01-2011 10:43 PM)Dutch Wrote:  That sounds good.

I wonder if we can also expect some kind of cooperation in the other direction. BMW buying technology from Fisker (like Mercedes and Toyota buy from Tesla)

I am frankly a little conflicted about the fact that my $100K Karma is going to have the engine out of a Pontiac Solictice while the $50K Nina is going to have a brand new BMW engine.

I can easily get over it however when Fisker sells lots and lots of Ninas and becomes a hugely successful company.

-- Fab.