(Fisker)
The Fisker Nina lives!
In line form.
The California automaker has revealed the first image of the follow-up to its $107,000 Karma sedan in an invitation to the car’s public unveiling at an event in New York City on April 3rd.
Development of the vehicle was put on hold in January after the company announced that it had been cut off from the bulk of a $529 million Department of Energy loan due to missed deadlines in the production of the Karma. The money was to be used to help launch Nina production at a former General Motors factory in Wilmington, Delaware, that Fisker purchased in 2009.
The black and white abstract sketch shows the profile of a car with the same distinctive long hood, low roof and upturned tail of the Karma. Fisker has previously said the four-door sedan would be the size of a BMW 5-Series, but only cost as much as a 3-series, approximately $47,400 before a federal tax credit of $7,500.
Like the Karma, the Nina will be able to cover short distances in all-electric mode before a small turbocharged four-cylinder engine (supplied for the Nina by BMW) kicks in to generate electricity for longer trips.
Former Delaware Senator Vice President Joe Biden is one of the few people outside of Fisker to have seen the car in full, and described it as a “four-door Ferrari” at an event announcing the acquisition of the Wilmington factory by Fisker.
After losing access to the Energy Department loan, Fisker said it was seeking alternative financing to get the Nina program back on track, but that Karma production was self-sustaining. A business update will accompany the unveiling of the Nina at the April 3rd event, according to the invitation.
Production of the Nina is not expected to begin before 2013.