High losses, poor sales: Industry giant must rescue electric start-up Fisker

class = “sc-cffd1e67-0 iQNQmc”>

Car designer Henrik Fisker (60) finally wanted to start building his second self-founded company. At its first attempt with the futuristic plug-in sports car Karma in 2007, the Danish and Californian model was denied success after its then-battery supplier went bankrupt. In 2014, Fisker sold the assets of Fisker Automotive – two years later Henrik Fisker announced the formation of Fisker Inc.

Goals were clearly missed

The start-up based in Los Angeles (USA) also set its goals high: Last year, Fisker wanted to sell 36,000 units of the first model, the electric SUV Ocean, which, according to its own statements, is the most sustainable car in the world. The reality looked different: only 10,000 Oceans were produced at the Magna factory in Graz (A), and not even 5,000 of them were delivered to customers.

Result: $463 million net loss in the fourth quarter alone! Fisker announced this last week and also warned that it may not be able to continue operations. Over the next 12 months, the company “will need to seek additional capital or debt financing, and no assurance can be given that Fisker will be successful in these efforts,” Henrik Fisker said during a conference call. In order to reduce operating costs, 15 percent of the workforce will be laid off in the first stage.

Possible win-win situation

At the same time, the former BMW and Aston Martin designer announced that Fisker was in talks with a “major automaker” about a strategic partnership. The manufacturer is said to be Japanese industrial giant Nissan, trade magazine “Automobilwoche” now reports with reference to the Reuters news agency. Discussions regarding a possible investment are said to be already advanced.

According to Reuters, terms of the possible deal include Nissan investing more than $400 million in the development of an electric pickup platform and the Alaskan, which it has announced for 2026, to be built at one of its U.S. assembly plants. Nissan will also benefit from the agreement: The Japanese, who pioneered electromobility with the Leaf model in 2010, have been increasingly missing the boat when it comes to electric cars in recent years. The Ariya electric crossover, launched in 2022, has fallen short of expectations so far. Joining Fisker will give Nissan access to new electric car platforms; It will be particularly interesting to enter the growing US market for electric pickups with its own model. According to Automobilwoche, Fisker and Nissan could reach a deal this month.

Source: Blick