Fisker Karma
Last year's sleek Karma concept from Henrik Fisker's start-up enterprise has now been shown in production form. The plug-in hybrid sedan appears poised to make the jump to reality, with suppliers in place for the hybrid hardware (Quantum Technologies), the 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine (General Motors), and various under-the-skin parts (GM, again). Finland's Valmet Automotive will handle assembly (as it does for the Porsche Boxster), and Fisker has even announced the price: $87,900. The shapely Karma doesn't lack for green credentials or enthusiast appeal. Fisker claims that its two 201-hp electric motors can provide emissions-free propulsion for up to fifty miles (in EV-only Eco mode) or, with help from the 2.0-liter gasoline engine, can send the aluminum-spaceframe sedan from 0 to 60 mph in 5.8 seconds (in dual-powerplant Sport mode). Should it come whirring off the assembly line late this year as planned, the Karma will join Tesla's Lotus-bodied electrics as the sexiest green machines on the market today. As for tomorrow, Fisker has unveiled a two-door convertible concept, the Karma S, which also could be added to the lineup.
Sex appeal: 5 out of 5
Production likelihood: 4 out of 5
"A couple years ago, I was one of those car enthusiasts who was really worried that we were all going to end up driving tiny electric two-seaters with 25 hp. I came across this plug-in hybrid technology and I suddenly realized - with this 400-hp powertrain, you don't have to make a tiny car that's boring. I also realized that when you make a car from the ground up, you can get back to some of those beautiful, dramatic, sculptural forms that we all love about cars."
- Henrik Fisker