All,
First, thank you to all of you for providing so much valuable information, insight, and opinion on the Karma. I've also been encouraged by the occasional response from Fisker employees, which is crucial in letting the community know that Fisker is not working in a bubble.
I'm a serious prospective buyer. I've heavily researched and test driven the car, and I've handed over my deposit already. The Karma I've reserved has been built but not shipped yet. I'm comforted by the fact that my deposit in my state is, I've been assured, completely refundable by law if I decide the car isn't for me.
Like many of you, I'm a professional in a tech-related industry. I have a family. I'm too busy. I love cutting-edge products and I fit the early adopter stereotype, BUT I also value my time and my family's time, and I expect that a car that costs $110,000 should be exceptional in every important way. I think that expectation is very reasonable.
I have some experience with exceptional cars. I own an incredible Acura NSX which I purchased new before I had a family. The NSX is an amazing super car for a couple; the Karma is in principle an amazing supercar for a family. Virtually every design aspect of the Karma resonates with me, from the all-EV + gas generator heart of the car to the solar roof to the interior and, of course, the amazing exterior.
The fact that the Karma has so many bugs, both big and small, is a serious problem to a prospective buyer. I'm willing to go the extra mile to work with a company on beta testing and helping them finish a revolutionary product, as I've done many times in the past, but there are limits to how much time and energy we are willing to invest in a concept, no matter how beautiful it is. Some have said that of course there will be bugs, as this is the first model year of a new car design, and I can appreciate that, especially with the complexity of the car. But it's 2012, the auto industry offers more than ever before, especially with the current explosion of electric vehicles. Fisker shouldn't need its customer base to rationalize why it should be acceptable that the speedometer will occasionally not work, the check engine light will occasionally turn on for no apparent reason, the car may not always start on demand, radio presents are prone to vanish, the nav system is inferior by all accounts to my 10-year old Garmin unit that's worth less than $100, cars come out of manufacturing with known noise issues that can be fixed with simple adjustments, etc. etc. etc. Yes, the Karma is hand-built, but that doesn't represent an excuse for sub-exceptional quality. (The Acura NSX, while much less complex, was also hand built and EVERYTHING on my sample at least has worked flawlessly from the first moment of ownership.)
Perhaps more problematic is that fact that key features that are STILL BEING USED by Fisker to sell the car, like remote cabin preconditioning, and USB connectivity, simply don't work or induce serious additional problems.
I still believe that the Karma will be my next car. I hold out hope that all issues, big and small, will be addressed very soon. But for Fisker to avoid alienating serious prospective buyers such as myself and current owners, I suggest that the company strongly consider the following:
1) Acknowledge all remaining known software bugs in a comprehensive list. The best, least PR-damaging way to do so is by creating proper Software Release Notes. Each software update should include a list of fixes addressed by that update, followed by a list of known remaining issues. The release notes should accompany EVERY software update. I really believe that this change alone will significantly improve the Karma's long-term future.
2) Communicate with dealers to ensure that ALL fixable hardware issues are addressed before the buyer takes possession, including panel misalignment, noise issues from loose window components, etc.
3) Implement as soon as possible a free software update that replaces the poor, C- grade nav system with one that is at least a B+. Aside from disappointing prospective buyers and current owners, it's a PR disaster when anyone riding in the car with any familiarity with a modern nav system experiences the Karma's, especially since the nav system is one of the most visible, useful, and familiar components of a 2012-era car. It's embarrassing, yet true, that most nav-equipped cars that cost literally 1/3 as much as the Karma have significantly superior nav systems!
4) Keep your loyal Karma community better apprised of fixes, developments, and bugs. Even hiring one FTE to simply acknowledge, organize, and communicate to Fisker all the consumer feedback on this and other public forums would do wonders for the morale of your customers and prospective owners.
I really want this car to be a success and to be merely the first of many revolutionary products from Fisker. These changes would significantly increase the chance that this vision is realized.
Thanks for reading.
First, thank you to all of you for providing so much valuable information, insight, and opinion on the Karma. I've also been encouraged by the occasional response from Fisker employees, which is crucial in letting the community know that Fisker is not working in a bubble.
I'm a serious prospective buyer. I've heavily researched and test driven the car, and I've handed over my deposit already. The Karma I've reserved has been built but not shipped yet. I'm comforted by the fact that my deposit in my state is, I've been assured, completely refundable by law if I decide the car isn't for me.
Like many of you, I'm a professional in a tech-related industry. I have a family. I'm too busy. I love cutting-edge products and I fit the early adopter stereotype, BUT I also value my time and my family's time, and I expect that a car that costs $110,000 should be exceptional in every important way. I think that expectation is very reasonable.
I have some experience with exceptional cars. I own an incredible Acura NSX which I purchased new before I had a family. The NSX is an amazing super car for a couple; the Karma is in principle an amazing supercar for a family. Virtually every design aspect of the Karma resonates with me, from the all-EV + gas generator heart of the car to the solar roof to the interior and, of course, the amazing exterior.
The fact that the Karma has so many bugs, both big and small, is a serious problem to a prospective buyer. I'm willing to go the extra mile to work with a company on beta testing and helping them finish a revolutionary product, as I've done many times in the past, but there are limits to how much time and energy we are willing to invest in a concept, no matter how beautiful it is. Some have said that of course there will be bugs, as this is the first model year of a new car design, and I can appreciate that, especially with the complexity of the car. But it's 2012, the auto industry offers more than ever before, especially with the current explosion of electric vehicles. Fisker shouldn't need its customer base to rationalize why it should be acceptable that the speedometer will occasionally not work, the check engine light will occasionally turn on for no apparent reason, the car may not always start on demand, radio presents are prone to vanish, the nav system is inferior by all accounts to my 10-year old Garmin unit that's worth less than $100, cars come out of manufacturing with known noise issues that can be fixed with simple adjustments, etc. etc. etc. Yes, the Karma is hand-built, but that doesn't represent an excuse for sub-exceptional quality. (The Acura NSX, while much less complex, was also hand built and EVERYTHING on my sample at least has worked flawlessly from the first moment of ownership.)
Perhaps more problematic is that fact that key features that are STILL BEING USED by Fisker to sell the car, like remote cabin preconditioning, and USB connectivity, simply don't work or induce serious additional problems.
I still believe that the Karma will be my next car. I hold out hope that all issues, big and small, will be addressed very soon. But for Fisker to avoid alienating serious prospective buyers such as myself and current owners, I suggest that the company strongly consider the following:
1) Acknowledge all remaining known software bugs in a comprehensive list. The best, least PR-damaging way to do so is by creating proper Software Release Notes. Each software update should include a list of fixes addressed by that update, followed by a list of known remaining issues. The release notes should accompany EVERY software update. I really believe that this change alone will significantly improve the Karma's long-term future.
2) Communicate with dealers to ensure that ALL fixable hardware issues are addressed before the buyer takes possession, including panel misalignment, noise issues from loose window components, etc.
3) Implement as soon as possible a free software update that replaces the poor, C- grade nav system with one that is at least a B+. Aside from disappointing prospective buyers and current owners, it's a PR disaster when anyone riding in the car with any familiarity with a modern nav system experiences the Karma's, especially since the nav system is one of the most visible, useful, and familiar components of a 2012-era car. It's embarrassing, yet true, that most nav-equipped cars that cost literally 1/3 as much as the Karma have significantly superior nav systems!
4) Keep your loyal Karma community better apprised of fixes, developments, and bugs. Even hiring one FTE to simply acknowledge, organize, and communicate to Fisker all the consumer feedback on this and other public forums would do wonders for the morale of your customers and prospective owners.
I really want this car to be a success and to be merely the first of many revolutionary products from Fisker. These changes would significantly increase the chance that this vision is realized.
Thanks for reading.
