(Motor Authority)- Surprisingly, one of the most exciting and advanced vehicles at this year's Detroit Auto Show came from one of the smallest carmakers presenting at the event. The car is the new Karma plug-in hybrid saloon from Fisker Coachbuild and it's scheduled to go into production next year. The bad news is that it will only be available in limited numbers in the U.S. and the same goes for the rest of Fisker's range.
This may not always be the case, however, as Fisker is keen to expand sales into Europe. Speaking with Automotive News Europe, Fisker technology chief Alan Niedzwiecki explained that officials are currently searching for a suitable dealer network across Europe and that sales could start as early as next year. Fisker already has several ties with some of Europe's biggest companies. The Fisker Latigo and Tramonto for example are based on BMW's 6-series and the Mercedes SL, respectively, and Germany's Asola is the supplier of solar panels for the new Karma.
Fisker hopes to build up to 15,000 units of its new Karma in the short term and is eventually planning to build up to 100,000 units annually. According to Niedzwiecki , 50% of sales are likely to be in Europe with the key market being Germany. The Karma is expected to cost upwards of $80,000 but if it proves successful Fisker eventually hopes to launch a new model costing around the $40,000 mark. In fact, Niedzwiecki claims there are currently three new models in the works. It seems Fisker Coachbuild is one company we'll be writing about a great deal more in the future.