Speaking with the Financial Times, Fisker CEO Henrik Fisker said: "We want to create a car company that only makes plug-in hybrid vehicles. We're going to have a range of six vehicles in the next five years." But to fund that kind of development would take hundreds of millions of dollars, a huge ask for a company that hasn’t even sold a single model yet.
That’s why Fisker is considering issuing a stock IPO after the launch of the new Karma. Following in the footsteps of Tesla, which managed to earn a handy $226 million from its own IPO earlier this year, Fisker could soon become a public company as well. Any funding would be in addition to the $300 million already raised by Fisker from private investors, as well as $529 million in low-interest loans from the U.S. Department of Energy.
If all goes to plan, Fisker will launch a more affordable model dubbed the Nini in 2012, as well as two other models positioned below the Karma. Also in the works is a convertible version of the Karma and a possible sports car model to rival the Tesla Roadster.
Annual production of the Fisker Karma is anticipated to reach 15,000 cars, with half of these expected to be sold in Europe. Pricing for the Karma in the U.S. should start around the $87,900 mark when it goes on sale in March 2011.
[Financial Times, sub req’d]
