First factory-built Fisker Karma live photos

First factory-built Fisker Karma live photos

Californian startup Fisker Automotive has been taking a lot of flak from the media following the launch of its first model, the 2012 Fisker Karma range-extended luxury sedan, due to the company’s decision to build the car in Finland despite borrowing more than half a billion dollars in Department of Energy loans.

What many outlets fail to mention is that Fisker plans to use most of that funding to start production of a second model, the smaller and more affordable ‘Project Nina’, at a former GM plant in Delaware.

Fisker spokesman Roger Ormisher has revealed to The Detroit News that production of Project Nina will start as early as next year with a view to commence full scale production by the middle of 2013.

This is almost a year earlier than previous predictions that said full scale production of Project Nina, some 75,000 to 100,000 cars per year, wouldn’t start until 2014.

Fisker also anticipates that Project Nina will ultimately create or support 2,000 factory jobs and more than 3,000 vendor and supplier jobs at the Delaware plant.

Note, Project Nina won’t be a single model but rather a family of different boydstyles all using a variation of the automaker’s range-extended electric drivetrain found in the Karma. The first model will be a mid-size luxury sedan.

One key difference between Project Nina and the Karma will be the adoption of a turbocharged four-cylinder engine sourced from BMW as opposed to the current GM supplied Ecotec unit Fisker is relying on.

For our complete coverage of Project Nina’s development, click here.