Fisker Automotive Inc., the company founded by leading industry designer and coach builder Henry Fisker, has reached an agreement with Finland’s Valmet Automotive which will see production of Fisker’s Karma 4-door plug-in hybrid begin in the fourth quarter of 2009. The goal is to reach 15,000 vehicle sales annually.
Valmet will set up an all new and separate body welding line just for the Karma. The rest of the car’s painting and assembly will be alongside the rest of production at the Uusikaupunki, Finland plant. The new contract is a bold step forward for both companies, and sets the stage to establish Fisker Automotive as one of the premier manufacturers of plug-in luxury electric vehicles.
Valmet President Ilpo Korhonen claims that the addition of the Karma to Valmet’s operation will create employment for 500 hourly workers in the region once full production is reached. Valmet currently makes the Porsche Boxster and Cayman for Porsche AG, but its contract with the company is up in June and Porsche will shift production somewhere else. This leaves ample opportunity for Fisker to establish itself and maybe think about full scale production, as in the hundreds of thousands, in the near future.
Henry Fisker and his baby, the Fisker Karma.
Source: Ward’s Auto
Photo: Fisker Automotive Inc.
