Fisker Karma to bare its bones at Geneva
Just prior to the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show, we ran a story on the Fisker Karma, a stunning-looking four-door sedan which is set to be the world’s first production Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV). It is powered by what Fisker calls the Q-DRIVE series-hybrid powertrain, which consists of a 2.0-litre turbocharged engine, a lithium-ion battery pack, and a rear-mounted motor – adding up to a package that delivers a nice 403hp. That was revealed in Frankfurt.
Next month, at Geneva, Fisker will showcase the advanced aluminium space frame chassis under the Karma’s skin for the first time ever. According to a press release by the firm, the Karma’s chassis is formed primarily using 5,000- and 6,000-series aluminium alloys by extrusion. Holding everything together are 1,058 self-pierching rivets, with 79 meters worth of welding joining the various pieces together.
Central to the Karma’s strength is a is a super-structural tunnel running down its centreline, acting as a torque tube connecting the front and rear halves of the car, besides serving as housing area for the battery pack. Resulting specifications are impressive – static torsional rigidity is rated at 33,000 Nm/deg, static bending rigidity at 23,000 Nm/mm.
In terms of impact protection, the front end of the Karma’s chassis features a patent-pending, multi-cell tempered aluminium crush box designed to displace impact energies away from passengers. It is also designed for easy replacement, an effort to reduce repair and insurance costs. Side impact is tackled by using Dual Phase 600-Series steel in the doors and B-pillars.
Fisker currently accepts pre-orders for the Karma with a deposit of US$5,000, but deliveries will only commence in the latter half of the year. No, we don’t expect to see it in our shores anytime soon. Too bad… We hope we’re wrong though.
KON
Picture: Official Fisker press release.
See also: Autoworld Blog >> Blog Archive >> Accumulating good Karma
