Fisker Still Plans Delaware Factory

The outlook is been a bit murky for automaker Fisker for a while. The company has sold a handful of its $100,000 plus plug-in hybrid luxury sport sedans called the Karma so far. However, the company has been plagued with vehicle fires and more recently a scathing review of the Karma from Consumer Reports.

Fisker had originally landed a low-interest loan from the US Energy Department, only to have the loan blocked when the company was late bringing the vehicle to market. When the company had its loan pulled, there was concerned about its ability to launch its Delaware plant to build its vehicles. Fisker has now reaffirmed that it will be opening the Delaware plant.

Fisker recently raised over $100 million from private investors and is continuing work on plans to produce a second vehicle model, the Atlantic, at a new plant in Wilmington, Delaware. Fisker says that issues that led to federal regulators suspending access to its government loan have been resolved. Fisker's Tony Posawartz said, "At an appropriate time, we will revisit the discussion with them of the possibility of accessing the remainder of the loan."

Fisker and its battery manufacturer have also been forced to conduct a recall to replace battery packs in some of the initial Karma vehicles at a significant cost. Fisker has also had to replace cooling fans on some Karmas. Fisker offered no indication of a timeframe for the opening of its Delaware plant.

[via SF Gate]