[dennis]

WTF? What justifies a second price increase on a car that has yet to be delivered to customers?

- Dennis

 

[dennis]

New buyers will have to wait for the 0.9% financing and $2500 cash back offers that are sure to follow the drop in demand...

 

[dennis]

My lease just expired on a 2008 Lexus LS600hL, which my wife and I drove 45K miles. It cost $115K and is a hybrid luxury sedan, so IMO it is a valid comparison to the Karma at the new pricing. The Lexus weighs 5000 lbs., 0-60 is 5.5 seconds, and because of the hybrid powertrain it got 50% better gas mileage than the V-12 BMW it replaced under similar hard driving. Here's my report card (I've had 2 test drives in the Karma):

Karma LS600
Styling A B
Performance B B+
Handling A C
Eco-cred A- B
Comfort B- A-

So the Karma stacks up well. But the market is moving and the real late 2012 competition may be the 300 mile range Tesla Model S at $80K. I've sat in one but haven't driven it. On paper, it looks like a straight-A student, unless you want to drive from San Francisco to LA.

- Dennis

 

[dennis]

The 300 mile Model S still lists for $77K. The $70k price they quote is after the Fed rebate. Since they haven't published option pricing yet, I rounded up to try to get an apples to apples with the Karma.

 

[dennis]

I think most of the supporters on this forum fit the classic "early adopter" profile - we want to be among the first with the new new thing, are willing to take risk, are willing to overlook the inevitable problems and delays associated with a first product even though we might bitch about it, etc. Those who desire the car but want to wait until it is proven are in the "early majority". Volumes have been written about this adoption curve in the tech world, the seminal work being Geoffrey Moore's "Crossing the Chasm".

I'm one of the early adopters. Every new BMW I read about and wanted over the past 30+ years I put a deposit on as soon as I heard about it , typically 2 years before delivery - 1978 733i, 1988 750iL, 2000 M5, 2006 M5. I was rewarded by getting one of the first of each model in my local area. Now its the Fisker Karma and McLaren MP4 12C.

Like the rest of you, I desperately want Fisker to succeed. That's why it hurts so much when they screw up their communications with us and the marketplace.

- Dennis

 

[dennis]

Per Fisker, the road show brought an additional 125 customers. They have not stated how many deposit holders they have lost. I think it is more than the 125 they gained from the road show.

I spoke to the owner of the 3 Fisker dealerships in Northern California today and he said they are getting new orders at the rate of almost one per day. The demo car in Silicon Valley is fully booked for test drives every Fri/Sat/Sun.

In the short term, demand will not be a problem.