Clean Green Cars: Henrik Fisker distances his company from Tesla, GM

Henrik Fisker distances his company from Tesla, GM

Fisker Karma - Click above for high-res image gallery

Considering the two fledgling automaker’s past history, it’s not terribly surprising that Henrik Fisker would want to distance his company from Tesla Motors. Recall that Fisker had originally been tasked with penning the design for the Tesla S electric sedan but later unveiled the Karma after being dismissed by the Silicon Valley automaker. There was a lawsuit, which was ruled in Fisker’s favor by an arbitration court.

Speaking at a meeting of the Western Automotive Journalists Assoction, Fisker said, “The full-electric car [like the Tesla Roadster] is a niche market. Plug-in hybrids have a much bigger market.” Of course, not everyone agrees that PHEVs are the way to go. Fisker goes on to say that his company’s latest business plan will lead to profits at just 5,000 annual sales, though the goal remains 15,000 sales per year.

What about the Chevy Volt, which uses a similar range-extended electric architecture as the Fisker Karma? Somewhat disparingly, Fisker suggests that GM’s future EV won’t really be competition for the Fisker, saying only, “It’s a Chevy.” He’s got a point, though, as the Volt is likely to cost about half what Fisker plans to ask for the Karma and surely won’t fit into the same luxury category as Fisker’s green machine.

Gallery: Fisker Karma