Fisker Atlantic may not be built in Delaware

[dennis]

In an interview with the Chicago Tribune:

"We're going to launch this car with or without the DOE," said Chief Executive Tom LaSorda during a media event ahead of the New York auto show. "We're proceeding where the best cost will be. We're looking for alternative options to the U.S., of course."

http://www.chicagotribune.com/classified/automotive/sns-rt-us-autoshow-newyork-fiskerbre83305a-20120403,0,1829825.story

[LonePalmBJ]

Originally Posted by dennis

"We're proceeding where the best cost will be. We're looking for alternative options to the U.S., of course."

Translation: A significant Chinese investment may include a requirement to build the vehicles in China.

[Sparky168]

Originally Posted by LonePalmBJ

Translation: A significant Chinese investment may include a requirement to build the vehicles in China.

Can Fisker lauch the build of Atlantic with the as-is funding in Valmet, Finland? As-is funding is definitely not sufficient for Delaware.

Actually not a bad sequence. Built in Finland first, establish volume, make money, then fund the Delaware.
If the as-is money is enough, Fisker might even be able to pull up the Atlantic schedule to end of this year. Sorry Elon. :P Last Nina was delayed because of the Delaware.

Picking a new production location (in China) over a proven, hardened and experienced car assembler (in Finland) is risky. Atlantic needs to be launched fairly flawless by using all the experience gained from the Karma.

Current market are Europe and NA. The GCC and China market are not yet broken in until the end of this year. Building Atlantic in China is half way around the world from here.

[Jimmy Biggs]

Originally Posted by Sparky168

Can Fisker lauch the build of Atlantic with the as-is funding in Valmet, Finland? As-is funding is definitely not sufficient for Delaware.

Actually not a bad sequence. Built in Finland first, establish volume, make money, then fund the Delaware.
If the as-is money is enough, Fisker might even be able to pull up the Atlantic schedule to end of this year. Sorry Elon. :P Last Nina was delayed because of the Delaware.

Picking a new production location (in China) over a proven, hardened and experienced car assembler (in Finland) is risky. Atlantic needs to be launched fairly flawless by using all the experience gained from the Karma.

Current market are Europe and NA. The GCC and China market are not yet broken in until the end of this year. Building Atlantic in China is half way around the world from here.

I live in Delaware and drive by the Boxwood Plant a few times a day. Fisker was NEVER going to build anything here in Delaware. They striped out all the production equipment and sold it for scrap. Even the politicians knew it wasn't going to get built here and publicly state it was a Biden campaign "Kick Back" ..........
And that was Democrat Politicians

[dennis]

Originally Posted by Jimmy Biggs

I live in Delaware and drive by the Boxwood Plant a few times a day. Fisker was NEVER going to build anything here in Delaware. They striped out all the production equipment and sold it for scrap. Even the politicians knew it wasn't going to get built here and publicly state it was a Biden campaign "Kick Back" ..........
And that was Democrat Politicians

A startup company wouldn't spend $20M of their scarce capital to buy a factory they didn't intend to use. Especially when $300M+ of loan capital was dependent on using that factory. But they might sell off equipment that was obsolete for modern assembly techniques.

I hope Fisker finds another source of capital that allows them to pay off the $193M DOE loan so all of the politicians, Democratic and Republican, can just shut the f up.

[Jimmy Biggs]

Originally Posted by dennis

A startup company wouldn't spend $20M of their scarce capital to buy a factory they didn't intend to use. Especially when $300M+ of loan capital was dependent on using that factory. But they might sell off equipment that was obsolete for modern assembly techniques.

I hope Fisker finds another source of capital that allows them to pay off the $193M DOE loan so all of the politicians, Democratic and Republican, can just shut the f up.

I've been in the car business since 1972 and TV for twenty years. I know all the politicians all the way up to Biden. Everybody knows the truth of the deal here. Hence why Mr Fisker himself lied about giving TV interviews/plant tours with updates of the "Nina". ABC was on it until the OBAMA Administration shut them up. Every politician in Delaware knows the truth and openly laugh about it ............ So sad but true.

[Nimisys]

Picking a new production location (in China) over a proven, hardened and experienced car assembler (in Finland) is risky. Atlantic needs to be launched fairly flawless by using all the experience gained from the Karma.

Valmet's production quality has been a concern, there have been a number off issues that directly relate back to them

[Sparky168]

Originally Posted by Nimisys

Valmet's production quality has been a concern, there have been a number off issues that directly relate back to them

Have they mend their way and improved?

[SoCalGuy]

With $300M cash on hand (post this last raise) and another $100-120M or so likely to be raised in April/May (based on public comments and their SEC filings), Fisker will be more than cashed up to continue operating for a very long while (LaSorda's 2012 target for Karma sales is 4,000 units, they sold 250 in March alone and sales should accelerate once the negative press is behind them). That should give would-be Karma buyers some comfort.

Further, it should also give them some more leverage with DOE and others on the location for building the Atlantic. Personally, I think it would be great if they could build it at NUMMI in California, location of the Tesla Factory. Tesla is only using 10% of the space at NUMMI (its a 370-acre facility near Silicon Valley, with a test track and everything, courtesy of GM/Toyota). I think it is in Tesla's interest for Fisker to succeed, to broaden awareness and adoption of gas alternative vehicles. And there's something personally satisfying of having the two leading the EV revolution beind headquartered, designed, engineered AND built in California.

[Jimmy Biggs]

Originally Posted by SoCalGuy

With $300M cash on hand (post this last raise) and another $100-120M or so likely to be raised in April/May (based on public comments and their SEC filings), Fisker will be more than cashed up to continue operating for a very long while (LaSorda's 2012 target for Karma sales is 4,000 units, they sold 250 in March alone and sales should accelerate once the negative press is behind them). That should give would-be Karma buyers some comfort.

Further, it should also give them some more leverage with DOE and others on the location for building the Atlantic. Personally, I think it would be great if they could build it at NUMMI in California, location of the Tesla Factory. Tesla is only using 10% of the space at NUMMI (its a 370-acre facility near Silicon Valley, with a test track and everything, courtesy of GM/Toyota). I think it is in Tesla's interest for Fisker to succeed, to broaden awareness and adoption of gas alternative vehicles. And there's something personally satisfying of having the two leading the EV revolution beind headquartered, designed, engineered AND built in California.

Labor cost is to high in SoCal