Even though Fisker delivered the first examples of its new Karma sedan last month, these were used purely as demo vehicles since Fisker’s extended-range plug-in hybrid hadn’t received the required Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) certification.
With this final hurdle now behind, Fiskerannounced today that it sold its first $97,000 Karma. “With receipt of EPA certification in hand, we have achieved a major milestone by recording the first sales of our groundbreaking Karma sedan”, said an exuberant Henrik Fisker who is the CEO and founder of the company.
According to EPA’s tests, the Karma has an all-electric range of 32 miles and a combined average fuel consumption of 52 MPGe (4.5 lt/100 km). That’s almost half the 100 MPGe (2.3 lt/100 km) consumption promised when the project was announced, but still commendable for a large luxury sedan with an extended-range powertrain.
However, ConsumerReports said that once the 2.0-liter turbocharged gasoline engine kicks in to provide power, the Karma is rated at just 20mpg.
Fisker says that, starting with a full battery charge, which takes less than six hours using a 240V outlet, the Karma would use only 9 gallons of gasoline per month and visit the gas station every 1,000 miles to top up its range-extending 2.0-liter gasoline engine if its driver made a daily commute of 40 miles on average.
After the announcement, the company’s CEO also stated: “Production is ramping and we have a strong dealer network in place so we can deliver many of these truly amazing automobiles to customers during the remainder of 2011 and for many years to come.”
