Industry News: Fisker Stops Work On Nina, Lays Some Workers Off

[William Maley]

William Maley

Editor/Reporter - CheersandGears.com

February 10, 2012

Earlier this week, Fisker announced they had temporarily halted work on Nina family sedan at the Fisker Automotive plant in Wilmington, Del. The temporary halt is due to Fisker and the federal government hashing out new terms of the company’s $529 million Department of Energy loan. The halt has caused Fisker to layoff 26 people at its Delaware plant and a number of contract engineers at Fisker's Anaheim, Calif., headquarters.

So why is the federal government and Fisker renegotiating details about the loan? Well, the Department of Energy’s load had certain deadlines, or milestones for Fisker to meet with Karma plug-in hybrid. Fisker failed to meet those deadlines and the department required modification of the terms of the loan to incorporate new deadlines for the company's second car, the Nina.

"DOE loan-modification negotiations are fairly standard procedure. We have to deliver on certain milestones, and we didn't hit all our targets with the Karma. This is a relatively ordinary series of events," said Fisker spokesman Roger Ormisher.

So far, Fisker has used Fisker has used $193 million of the $529 million government loan, mostly for the Karma. The remaining amount will go towards the new Nina.

Source: Autoweek

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[ocnblu]

LOL

[balthazar]

BigGov't sure can't seem to call many of these 'green energy' investments right.

[ocnblu]

It makes me dance around the room in birthday clothes holding a phantom microphone reading something like this. *POOF*

[§carlet §wordfish]

Why? Why do you have to be such a dick about electirc cars? We all know you don't like them and you'd never want to drive one. Well I'd never want to drive some giant V8 RWD car. I'd like to own an electric car someday. Why are you so against there being cars that people like me want to drive?

Edited February 11, 2012 by §carlet §wordfish

[Drew Dowdell]

Why? Why do you have to be such a dick about electirc cars?

[ocnblu]

It's time to face reality, for Christ's sake.

[balthazar]

I, for one, am not at all against electric cars. More choice is (usually) always better (I'd like to see steam, too). My statement wasn't against the cars (which was perfectly clear in my post), but against taxpayer money going into poorly vetted business cases.

[Drew Dowdell]

It's time to face reality, for Christ's sake.

How many car companies went under before the golden age of the automobile in the 20's.... or in the 50's?

How many new technologies were tried and failed back then till someone found the right combination?

The transverse 4-cylinder, front wheel drive car was invented in 1901 but failed... we didn't see another one until the 1970s!

[Robert Hall]

The transverse 4-cylinder, front wheel drive car was invented in 1901 but failed... we didn't see another one until the 1970s!

Interesting...I thought that configuration was invented in '59 w/ the original Mini.

[ocnblu]

Scarlet, aspire to a Prius C if that is your bent. It's small, cheeky, hybrid, inexpensive to buy, and real.

[Drew Dowdell]

The transverse 4-cylinder, front wheel drive car was invented in 1901 but failed... we didn't see another one until the 1970s!

Interesting...I thought that configuration was invented in '59 w/ the original Mini.

I actually plan to do an article on it.

[balthazar]

few things in automotive history are as recent as one would think

[§carlet §wordfish]

Scarlet, aspire to a Prius C if that is your bent. It's small, cheeky, hybrid, inexpensive to buy, and real.

No, I want to have as much variety in electric cars available to me as there is in gas powered cars. FWD, RWD, full size, midsize, compact, sedans, coupes, roadsters, crossovers, pickups, econoboxes to ulrtra-luxes.

Edited February 11, 2012 by §carlet §wordfish

[ocnblu]

Dreams.

[§carlet §wordfish]

Just because I don't want the same kind of car you like, doesn't me I think the cars you like should't exist. Why do you so hate the idea of freedom of choice in electric vehicles?

Edited February 12, 2012 by §carlet §wordfish

[Drew Dowdell]

I want an Electronado

[ocnblu]

You'll have to give up a lot of freedom of mobility to own such a dorkmobile. Why punish yourself?

[Drew Dowdell]

You'll have to give up a lot of freedom of mobility to own such a dorkmobile. Why punish yourself?

I drive it no more than 5,000 miles a year as is... The outward appearance wouldn't change, so how would no visual change + instant torque = dork mobile?

Plus, even with twice the battery pack, I'd still have more trunk room than most vehicles out there today.

[67impss]

Olds If you have the room then why not find a nice example and convert it. I'm gonna do my project and I'll post the Ideas I have and bounce it off you guys. It will be diesel and my first foray into the Mopar side. Ive seen almost everything converted electric so it's easier than you'd think. Only the battery purchase is very costly.

[Drew Dowdell]

I don't have room nor the money... so....

If anything happens to my 307, I'd probably just put an LT1 in its place and call it a day.

[Z-06]

few things in automotive history are as recent as one would think

You mean DOHC is not latest and greatest?

[balthazar]

[ocnblu]

Boy, the red tide rises in this thread, haha. Feels good to be right though, even if it took a while to finally sputter and die a well-deserved death. *choke*choke*gasp*

Internal combustion FTW, BTW.

[FAPTurbo]

Yeah you're trolling.

Unless you actually hate innovation and jobs. Then you hate America.

You don't hate America, do you?

[Drew Dowdell]

uh... the Fisker does have internal combustion.... a good old GM Ecotec....

[Robert Hall]

Why do you so hate the idea of freedom of choice in electric vehicles?

Some people fear change...

[§carlet §wordfish]

You'll have to give up a lot of freedom of mobility to own such a dorkmobile. Why punish yourself?

In case you still didn't know after the five billion times it's been said, electric cars like the Volt and Fiskers have no limits to their mobility whatsoever.

[§carlet §wordfish]

Besides, my mobility is already severly limited by my budget. If anything an electric car would only increase my mobility by reducing my fuel costs.

Edited February 12, 2012 by §carlet §wordfish

[ocnblu]

That is why a Prius C would be perfect for you at some point in the future, if you aspire to go new. You like quirky cars with personality, the C looks like a fun pup compared to its deathly beige older brother. The base model comes with wheel covers you can take off and ride with black steelies. And it has a particular disdain for gasoline, you know, that evil fluid that built America, land that I love.

[Drew Dowdell]

That is why a Prius C would be perfect for you at some point in the future, if you aspire to go new. You like quirky cars with personality, the C looks like a fun pup compared to its deathly beige older brother. The base model comes with wheel covers you can take off and ride with black steelies. And it has a particular disdain for gasoline, you know, that evil fluid that built America, land that I love.

It's also a cheapo pile of dung. Toyota is scraping a new low in build quality on that one.

[ocnblu]

Remember, when you're "green", it's not the car, it's the IDEAR of the car.

[§carlet §wordfish]

...What?

Anyway, the Prius C does nothing for me. I'd much rather have a Volt. Or anything else interesting the Big 3 might offer in the future. The Fiskers are aspirational, but I don't foresee myself being able to afford something like that.

[SAmadei]

Anyway, the Prius C does nothing for me. I'd much rather have a Volt. Or anything else interesting the Big 3 might offer in the future. The Fiskers are aspirational, but I don't foresee myself being able to afford something like that.

Why don't you grab a Volt, then? Otherwise, you are hoping for a technology to supplant a large percentage of the entire automotive fleet. Unfortunately, its not all that viable yet. Buy a Volt, while they are still availble, and don't expect them to be forced onto everybody... I'm not forcing you to buy a gasoline powered V8... stop advocating that the government waste my taxpaying money to try to force others into electrics.