Fisker Luxury Sedan Features Quantum Drive Plug-In Hybrid Technology

Fisker Coachbuild and Quantum Technologies have formed Fisker Automotive, a joint venture to produce a range of environmentally friendly premium cars. The new company plans to debut its first production model at the 2008 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit.

Southern California based Fisker Coachbuild is noted for its handcrafted, exotic, high-end performance sports cars like its current limited edition Tramonto and Latigo CS. Henrik Fisker has also designed such luxury sports cars as BMW Z8, Aston Martin DB9 and Aston Martin V-8 Vantage.

The new Fisker luxury sedan will feature Quantum Drive, a plug-in hybrid technology developed by Quantum Technologies exclusively for Fisker Automotive. The new Fisker model will be designed from-the-ground-up as a hybrid vehicle optimized for fuel economy. It will offer the advantage of using the current gasoline infrastructure and home based battery recharging via any 110 volt outlet, allowing daily operation at a fraction of the cost of conventional vehicles. Power is expected to be provided by lithium-ion batteries developed by Quantum's strategic alliance partner Advanced Lithium Power Ltd.

Henrik Fisker, Fisker Automotive CEO, notes that the company wants people to be able to drive "beautiful, fast cars that make environmental sense ... cars that are eco-chic and will have less of an impact on global warming." We're looking forward to seeing that dream fulfilled. The company plans to initially produce 15,000 vehicles annually with prices starting under $100,000.