Boutique automaker Fisker probably doesn’t need any more bad press. After all, its Karma sedan has only been in owners’ hands for a few months, but the company has already struggled through two recalls (one battery-related, the second software-based) and a recent round of funding-related layoffs. Now comes word from Consumer Reports, via Autoblog, that the Karma purchased by CR died during the magazine’s check-in process.
While critics complain that CR isn’t always as objective as it would have readers believe, it gets credit for purchasing each of the vehicles it road tests. In the case of the Karma, that purchase set the magazine back over $100,000, which is roughly 10,000 times our own budget for purchasing test vehicles. Upon delivery and during CR’s check-in process, its newly acquired Karma suddenly refused to engage any gear beyond park and neutral. According to CR, it was the first time in the publication’s history that a car failed before completion of the initial check-in.
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The local Fisker dealer immediately dispatched a flatbed to retrieve the car, which is undergoing diagnostic tests. In fairness to Fisker, it’s reasonable to expect glitches from any new car, especially one that uses a complex, extended-range electric drivetrain. There is, apparently, some validity to the adage that you should never buy a first-model-year-car, no matter how good it looks.
Kurt Ernst has been passionate about automobiles and driving nearly his entire life. His early years were shaped working in the family service station, though his real passion was auto racing. After graduating from the University of Colorado, Kurt spent a year club racing with the Sports Car Club of America, before focusing on a business career in marketing and project management. Later, his passion for writing and the automotive hobby found him freelancing for a variety of automotive news sites, including Automotive Addicts and Motor Authority, where his work was syndicated and appeared in several national publications. Recognized as an expert in the automotive field, Kurt joined Hemmings Motor News as an Associate Editor in 2013, and in the years since has progressed to Editor, Hemmings Daily; Managing Editor for Hemmings Motor News, Hemmings Classic Car, Hemmings Muscle Machines, and the Hemmings Daily; and now, Managing Editor, Hemmings Auctions. Kurt was instrumental in organizing the Hemmings Motor News Concours d’Elegance from 2013-2019, and has served as a judge at this event and The Vintage Racing Stable Concours d’Elegance. A Skip Barber Racing School graduate and prolific writer, Ernst is also skilled in copyediting, project management, brand development, and public relations.