The Fisker logo. Image: Fisker
The bad news just keeps coming for luxury electric automaker Fisker. First there were a series of recalls relating to the extended-range-electric Karma’s battery pack and controller software. This was followed by news that Fisker’s Department of Energy loans had been dramatically cut for missing key milestones. Then came layoffs, at exactly the time Fisker should have been ramping up staffing to build the Atlantic sedan (formerly known as “Project Nina”) at its plant in Delaware.
Now comes word from Autoblog that Fisker has again made staffing cuts at its Delaware facility. Gone are 12 additional employees, including engineers, business development managers and maintenance workers, leaving only a skeleton crew to maintain the former GM plant now owned by Fisker.
Assuming that Fisker works out its current conflict with the DOE, the issue of where the Atlantic will be built appears to be very much up in the air. The Karma is currently built under license by Valmet in Finland, so it’s entirely possible that the Atlantic could be off-shored, too. Fisker isn’t clarifying the situation just yet, saying only that a decision on the Atlantic’s production facility won’t be made until late in the third quarter.
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.
