Will the Fisker Atlantic bring a fledgling green-luxury carmaker to profitability? Will it be built? Some analysts and industry experts are still skeptical, but if you ask Fisker Automotive CEO Tom LaSorda, its chief commercial officer Richard Beattie, or its founder Henrik Fisker, the answer will likely be that the Atlantic is an essential higher-volume product to form a successful company.

Last night, FIsker pulled the wraps off the early design prototype (or concept, we'd call it) version of this car (formerly called Project Nina) that's still two or three years away.

Details were thin about the Atlantic, but the automaker has said that like the Karma the Atlantic will--like the Chevrolet Volt--be a range-extended electric vehicle. With a small BMW engine functioning as an on-board generator after you've driven a particular range, the Atlantic will have all-wheel drive or rear-wheel drive, and will be focused as a sporting sedan for young families. Already answering potential questions about why the Atlantic isn't an EV, Fisker said that "we think extended range is so important, because range equals freedom."

"This car will be built, and it will go into production," said Fisker. "What you're going to see today is a promise we're going to deliver."