Fisker Are Bankrupt.

[05XR8]

http://www.goauto.com.au/mellor/mellor.nsf/story2/D9DB1BF3203F5082CA25805E003610DE

So EMotional: Fisker Inc says the EMotion will have an electric driving rage of 644km, which is slightly more than that of the Tesla Model S P100D.

Resurrected Fisker brand set to take on Tesla with the EMotion electric sedan

http://www.goauto.com.au/mellor/mel...&client=1fc&adtype=island&page=future&site=va

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1 November 2016

By TIM NICHOLSON

HENRIK Fisker has lifted the lid on the model that will reintroduce the Fisker automotive brand to the world and take on Californian giant Tesla in the growing electric vehicle market.

Just a couple of images of the new electrified sedan – dubbed the EMotion – have been revealed so far with the newly formed company confirming that more details and more images would be forthcoming next year.

The overall shape of the EMotion is similar to that of the Tesla Model 3 small liftback that was uncovered in April in concept guise.

The new model has a sporty, dynamic design with a front-end treatment that is already proving to be polarising.

Sharply-angled LED headlights, a pair of bonnet ‘nostril’ scoops and staggered lower air intakes as well as a thin-lipped grille make up the elements at the front, while short front and rear overhangs and massive bulging wheel-arches give the EMotion the appearance of a performance car.

The fledgling company has not said whether this is the production version or a concept, but the impossibly thin exterior mirrors, huge wheels and lack of door handles suggest it could be a concept.

As Fisker Inc revealed two weeks ago, the new model has vertical opening “butterfly” doors for ease of entry and egress, which follows Tesla’s decision to offer falcon wing doors on its Model X SUV.

Few details have been revealed about what lies under the EMotion’s skin, but in a recent Facebook post, the company announced that the new model would feature a “unique composite carbon-fibre and aluminium structure”.

The car’s structure and proportions also make for a huge interior space which Fisker says is larger than its closest competitor – presumably the Tesla Model S.

Fisker is yet to detail the battery technology that is being developed by his battery division Fisker Nanotech, but it said it will deliver “the world’s longest electric range of any production car previously developed”.

It says the car will have an all-electric driving range of 400 miles, or 644km, which eclipses that of the Tesla Model S P100D (613km) and a top speed of 260km/h.

Fisker says the EMotion will also be equipped with hardware that allows fully autonomous driving for when that sort of driving is approved. It will be developed by a yet-to-be announced partner.

The EMotion is likely to be built by VLF Automotive, which is a niche car-maker with a manufacturing facility based in Auburn Hills, Michigan, that Mr Fisker is also involved with.

It is unclear if the EMotion will be produced in right-hand drive or if there are plans to expand sales beyond the United States.

This is the second time around for the Fisker brand, following the doomed launch of the electric Karma sedan in 2011 that was plagued by problems.

The company eventually filed for bankruptcy and was eventually taken over by the Wanxiang Group from China, which then rebranded under the Karma Automotive banner. That company is now selling a resurrected version of the Karma, called Revero, in some markets.

 

[Robin]

Looks like a One-77 that ate some sour candy!

 

[AudiMan2011]

The only EMotion I'm getting from this car is one of vomiting. That front looks absolutely wretched.

 

[MisterWaffles]

I don't think people are understanding these new designs fully just yet, grills on cars will be a thing of the past once fossil fuel becomes obsolete. Cars are evolving, and with that certain design features will be ousted in favour of efficiency. Electric cars may look ugly without traditional grills in the front, but we will all be seeing much more of it as time goes on.

 

[TVR27]

I don't think people are understanding these new designs fully just yet, grills on cars will be a thing of the past once fossil fuel becomes obsolete. Cars are evolving, and with that certain design features will be ousted in favour of efficiency. Electric cars may look ugly without traditional grills in the front, but we will all be seeing much more of it as time goes on.

So cars will soon look like boring plastic Nascars.

 

[MisterWaffles]

So cars will soon look like boring plastic Nascars.

Exactly.

Actually, here's a great article about it too.
http://jalopnik.com/5964070/why-do-all-these-electric-cars-have-grilles

 

[05XR8]

Maybe the space in front can be used for ads(taxis, limos, commercial vehicles) or expressions of the vehicle like that Toyota puppy thing.

 

[LMSCorvetteGT2]

Exactly.

Actually, here's a great article about it too.
http://jalopnik.com/5964070/why-do-all-these-electric-cars-have-grilles

For once the write something that I've asked myself every time I see one of these as well. I say it to myself driving "they realize they don't need any grille/front ventilation..."

 

[homeforsummer]

I don't think people are understanding these new designs fully just yet, grills on cars will be a thing of the past once fossil fuel becomes obsolete. Cars are evolving, and with that certain design features will be ousted in favour of efficiency. Electric cars may look ugly without traditional grills in the front, but we will all be seeing much more of it as time goes on.

I don't think the issue here is so much the lack of a grille, as the lack of a front end design that makes best use of not needing a grille. It looks like Fisker has said "I'll just stick a bunch of random shapes here since I don't know what else to do with the space".

Plenty of rear-engined cars from times past didn't have front grilles either and looked none the worse for it - Beetles, early 911s (later ones don't really have a traditional grille as such but since they became water-cooled it's now become a thing), original Fiat 500, Renault 8, Hillman Imp, Skoda 110R etc.

I think the bigger issue is designers with no imagination making electric cars that look basically identical to combustion ones and then having to "fix" bits of the design that aren't required with an electric drivetrain.

 

[Tornado]

I don't think people are understanding these new designs fully just yet, grills on cars will be a thing of the past once fossil fuel becomes obsolete. Cars are evolving, and with that certain design features will be ousted in favour of efficiency. Electric cars may look ugly without traditional grills in the front, but we will all be seeing much more of it as time goes on.

Behold, the future!

 

[GranTurismo guy]

A car with no grille is in no way automatically ugly, it's how the designer goes about it.

I don't think people are understanding these new designs fully just yet, grills on cars will be a thing of the past once fossil fuel becomes obsolete. Cars are evolving, and with that certain design features will be ousted in favour of efficiency. Electric cars may look ugly without traditional grills in the front, but we will all be seeing much more of it as time goes on.

What exactly made you think that the lack of grille was what put people off? Personally I didn't even notice there wasn't one, I was far too distracted by the fact the general appearance is as though it's had a frontal impact

 

[Robin]

A car with no grille is in no way automatically ugly, it's how the designer goes about it.

Audi did a pretty good job of it with the A2.

 

[LM7325]

Behold, the future!

KITT didn't need no grille.

The regular 3rd gen Firebird pulled off the no grille look quite well on its own also.

If '80s GM could pull it off then what's stopping them from making something attractive with no grille now?

 

[TeamCZRRacing]

http://www.goauto.com.au/mellor/mellor.nsf/story2/D9DB1BF3203F5082CA25805E003610DE

Am I the only one who actually likes the design? The low-slung form factor reminds me of a SuperGT car for some reason.

 

[05XR8]

I just like them(all EVs) for the technology. I didn't care at first, but their performance made me a believer.

 

[homeforsummer]

Audi did a pretty good job of it with the A2.

View attachment 602725

I like the A2, but that isn't really a car without a grille. It's a car without a traditional, working radiator grille, but that blanking plate is little different to the one that's designed to look like a grille on a Tesla.

 

[TVR27]

Behold, the future!

Is that car from Robocop?

 

[TexRex]

Is that car from Robocop?

As it's being driven by Robocop, I'd assume so.

 

[TenEightyOne]

I like the A2, but that isn't really a car without a grille. It's a car without a traditional, working radiator grille, but that blanking plate is little different to the one that's designed to look like a grille on a Tesla.

That's the point though - the proportion of headlamps, grille and badge are part of the recognisable brand for many manufacturers. BMW and Audi are good examples of that. Why do they need the grille? So it looks like their car. The car's covered in bumps and creases that only serve design purposes with no mechanical value... if every car was built to the absolute mechanical optimum then they'd all look even more similar than they do now.

 

[homeforsummer]

That's the point though - the proportion of headlamps, grille and badge are part of the recognisable brand for many manufacturers. BMW and Audi are good examples of that. Why do they need the grille? So it looks like their car. The car's covered in bumps and creases that only serve design purposes with no mechanical value... if every car was built to the absolute mechanical optimum then they'd all look even more similar than they do now.

I'm not sure I agree.

Partly, that all cars look similar at the moment. Which is something that people have been trotting out for decades, and it's probably less the case today than it's been for many of those decades. Some models from within a manufacturer's own range look perhaps too similar to each other (Audi being the default example, but most manufacturers are guilty of it to some degree), but then that makes the grille-less argument a moot point - remove the grilles from a bunch of Audis and they'd look no less identical than they do already - and they'd still look different from a BMW without a grille.

That said, I understand the argument for having a grille if it's a part of a brand's design identity. BMW again, or Mercedes.

Audi arguably less so, as an oblong grille is hardly an iconic design feature (though the 'singleframe' grille - I think that's what it's called - is spreading throughout the range regardless, so they're certainly trying to force some identity on it). Nor Ford, which has constantly changed its grille designs throughout history. Or Vauxhall, or Peugeot, or most other mainstream brands.

I think a great example of a corporate, recognisable grille not being particularly necessary is the Citroen C4 Cactus. It has a small grille just above the numberplate and takes some air in lower down the bumper too. But if you removed those for an electric version, and even took off the Citroen badges, it wouldn't suddenly be without identity, easy to mistake for a e-Golf or similar.

I reckon Infiniti, or Lexus, could quite easily get away without a fake grille if they made an electric car. Both have really strong design identities at the moment, even if you ignore that their combustion vehicles have very prominent grilles. A Lexus NX looks like nothing else. An electric one, with a completely different front end treatment, would still be very visibly a Lexus, I reckon.

If anything, designers are using a corporate grille as a crutch on their electric cars that absolves them from developing an identity for the rest of the car.

BMW's use of kidneys on the i3 and i8 serves a subtly different purpose. Those designs are both so far from BMW's standard output that the grille is currently the only design link with other BMWs. Once the "BMW i" brand becomes widely-enough known, you could easily remove the kidneys from the range and people would still recognise those cars as BMWs thanks to the cars' other characteristics. Or you could make a 3-series that looked like a four-door i8, and people would still recognise it as a BMW even if it didn't have a kidney grille.

 

[TenEightyOne]

I'm not sure I agree.

Partly, that all cars look similar at the moment. Which is something that people have been trotting out for decades, and it's probably less the case today than it's been for many of those decades. Some models from within a manufacturer's own range look perhaps too similar to each other (Audi being the default example, but most manufacturers are guilty of it to some degree), but then that makes the grille-less argument a moot point - remove the grilles from a bunch of Audis and they'd look no less identical than they do already - and they'd still look different from a BMW without a grille.

I didn't say that if you just removed grill and lamps all cars would look identical - I pointed out that each manufacturer adds lumps, bumps and creases to gain a certain "look", and that these are mechanically non-essential.

That said, I understand the argument for having a grille if it's a part of a brand's design identity. BMW again, or Mercedes.

Precisely.

Audi arguably less so, as an oblong grille is hardly an iconic design feature (though the 'singleframe' grille - I think that's what it's called - is spreading throughout the range regardless, so they're certainly trying to force some identity on it). Nor Ford, which has constantly changed its grille designs throughout history. Or Vauxhall, or Peugeot, or most other mainstream brands.

True, but nonetheless they've each stuck with their "facelifts" for quite a long time (Ford Aston-esque grills excepted), they still identify the brand even if someone from the 70s couldn't tell what it was like they might be able to with a BMW.

I think a great example of a corporate, recognisable grille not being particularly necessary is the Citroen C4 Cactus. It has a small grille just above the numberplate and takes some air in lower down the bumper too. But if you removed those for an electric version, and even took off the Citroen badges, it wouldn't suddenly be without identity, easy to mistake for a e-Golf or similar.

Not many Citroens have had grilles since the 60s though... the grill-less look is kind of their thing.

I reckon Infiniti, or Lexus, could quite easily get away without a fake grille if they made an electric car. Both have really strong design identities at the moment, even if you ignore that their combustion vehicles have very prominent grilles. A Lexus NX looks like nothing else. An electric one, with a completely different front end treatment, would still be very visibly a Lexus, I reckon.

It depends how much visual identity comes from the body creases, proportions and lamps, notwithstanding which I agree with you.

If anything, designers are using a corporate grille as a crutch on their electric cars that absolves them from developing an identity for the rest of the car.

BMW's use of kidneys on the i3 and i8 serves a subtly different purpose. Those designs are both so far from BMW's standard output that the grille is currently the only design link with other BMWs. Once the "BMW i" brand becomes widely-enough known, you could easily remove the kidneys from the range and people would still recognise those cars as BMWs thanks to the cars' other characteristics. Or you could make a 3-series that looked like a four-door i8, and people would still recognise it as a BMW even if it didn't have a kidney grille.

Which is an interesting point. Does it stop the manufacturers "developing and identity for the rest of the car"? It's hard to imagine that it does. Where I agree with you is that we'll likely see an evolution to grill-less cars that people will find just as recognisable... but nobody will want to jeopardise sales or brand identity by wiping recognisable features away in the near future.

 

[05XR8]

I agree with this

I'm not sure I agree.

Partly, that all cars look similar at the moment. Which is something that people have been trotting out for decades, and it's probably less the case today than it's been for many of those decades. Some models from within a manufacturer's own range look perhaps too similar to each other (Audi being the default example, but most manufacturers are guilty of it to some degree), but then that makes the grille-less argument a moot point - remove the grilles from a bunch of Audis and they'd look no less identical than they do already - and they'd still look different from a BMW without a grille.

That said, I understand the argument for having a grille if it's a part of a brand's design identity. BMW again, or Mercedes.

Audi arguably less so, as an oblong grille is hardly an iconic design feature (though the 'singleframe' grille - I think that's what it's called - is spreading throughout the range regardless, so they're certainly trying to force some identity on it). Nor Ford, which has constantly changed its grille designs throughout history. Or Vauxhall, or Peugeot, or most other mainstream brands.

I think a great example of a corporate, recognisable grille not being particularly necessary is the Citroen C4 Cactus. It has a small grille just above the numberplate and takes some air in lower down the bumper too. But if you removed those for an electric version, and even took off the Citroen badges, it wouldn't suddenly be without identity, easy to mistake for a e-Golf or similar.

I reckon Infiniti, or Lexus, could quite easily get away without a fake grille if they made an electric car. Both have really strong design identities at the moment, even if you ignore that their combustion vehicles have very prominent grilles. A Lexus NX looks like nothing else. An electric one, with a completely different front end treatment, would still be very visibly a Lexus, I reckon.

If anything, designers are using a corporate grille as a crutch on their electric cars that absolves them from developing an identity for the rest of the car.

BMW's use of kidneys on the i3 and i8 serves a subtly different purpose. Those designs are both so far from BMW's standard output that the grille is currently the only design link with other BMWs. Once the "BMW i" brand becomes widely-enough known, you could easily remove the kidneys from the range and people would still recognise those cars as BMWs thanks to the cars' other characteristics. Or you could make a 3-series that looked like a four-door i8, and people would still recognise it as a BMW even if it didn't have a kidney grille.

That Mercedes E SUV could be anything if they removed the 3-pointed star.

And to cover the lower "dumbbell" look on the car above, BMW, Audi and a host of other manufacturers have variations of the foglight/DRL/fake brakeduct bezel as well. Any badge could work.

 

[ClydeYellow]

I think a great example of a corporate, recognisable grille not being particularly necessary is the Citroen C4 Cactus. It has a small grille just above the numberplate and takes some air in lower down the bumper too. But if you removed those for an electric version, and even took off the Citroen badges, it wouldn't suddenly be without identity, easy to mistake for a e-Golf or similar.

They basically... Turned it into a plateholder bezel instead. Shame.

And to cover the lower "dumbbell" look on the car above, BMW, Audi and a host of other manufacturers have variations of the foglight/DRL/fake brakeduct bezel as well. Any badge could work.

The lower bumper "handlebar" thing is really becoming a design fixture on mid- and large-size sedans; the only cars that I can recall which don't use it are the Infiniti Q50 and Alfa Romeo Giulia... Both of which, incidentally, also feature very distinctive grille / front fascia designs.

 

[homeforsummer]

Not many Citroens have had grilles since the 60s though... the grill-less look is kind of their thing.

Which reiterates one of my points, which is that it's possible to have a design identity without actually having a consistent design theme. Aside from a uncomfortable period around the Saxo/Xsara/C5 era when Citroen did try to introduce grilles - yet had basically no visual identity, because the rest of the car was typically pretty dull - Citroens have virtually never looked alike.

There have been hints through form - if you knew a bit about cars you wouldn't have to work too hard to guess that the DS, CX, XM and C6 were part of the same lineage, and the low rear arch was for a time a Citroen design cue (kind of Citroen's Hoffmeister kink) - but otherwise Citroen has been making a lineup of cars that looks nothing like its other cars, and eschewed the use of a traditional grille, yet still made cars that looked distinctly Citroen.

Back when Infiniti and Lexus made incredibly dull-looking vehicles some kind of corporate grille design was probably more important than it is now (utility aside - they are of course building cars that actually need cooling and intake air).

Which is an interesting point. Does it stop the manufacturers "developing and identity for the rest of the car"? It's hard to imagine that it does. Where I agree with you is that we'll likely see an evolution to grill-less cars that people will find just as recognisable... but nobody will want to jeopardise sales or brand identity by wiping recognisable features away in the near future.

I wouldn't say it stops it, but I suspect a lot of designers rely too heavily on it to create the look of their cars. I think Ford is particularly guilty of it at the moment. Peugeot was too, during its 2000s gaping-fishmouth design period, but thankfully that company seems to have got some of its knack back.

Alfa Romeo, as @ClydeYellow mentions below, is an interesting one. The heart-shaped grille is obviously another part of that company's identity, but it's also one I think Alfa is relying too heavily upon. I'm sure some people will think I'm nuts for saying this, but for me the new Giulia is broadly quite a bland design that someone has then attempted to apply Alfa details to, to make it look like an Alfa.

The 159 was quite the opposite. That was simply a sharp, contemporary Alfa Romeo. Had that car not existed, and Alfa released it today (albeit rear-drive like the Giulia, preferably), nobody would bat an eyelid. It had an Alfa identity, indisputably.

The 156 before it had a retro theme, but it was cohesive (and to my eyes, slightly spoiled when Alfa tried to make it more contemporary at the facelift - an uncomfortable halfway house between the 156 and 159). But the 156 was another car with Alfa identity. The 155 before it I'd argue didn't - too much contemporary Fiat, just jazzed up with an Alfa grille.

So there's definitely a fine line to tread. But it baffles me why Fisker (returning to the subject of the thread!) has neither any design heritage to follow nor a grille design to continue, nor the technical necessity for a grille, yet has managed to create a car that looks in need of a grille. Surely Fisker is in the perfect position to go down the Citroen route and create a clean-slate design that doesn't pander to tradition.

They basically... Turned it into a plateholder bezel instead. Shame.

Indeed. That said (while I'm not keen on the looks of the e-Mehari), it's at least fairly subtle in blanking off the regular grille.

My hope with Citroen is that it doesn't see the Cactus design as too much of a good thing and end up with a range of cars that look too similar to it. The new C3 looks just different enough to have its own identity (interestingly, it has a grille...), and the recent C-Xperience concept suggests to me that when Citroen gets back around to making larger, more luxurious cars, they'll have very little in common with the smaller, more affordable cars.

 

[05XR8]

Not to be too silly, but Fisker have still copied that lower grill look...

..and not tried to do anything unique in that space.