Fisker to build electric cars at former GM Plant in Delaware!

[LynneSin]

http://www.delawareonline.com/article/20091027/NEWS/91027027/Fisker+unveils+Boxwood+plans

Fisker unveils Boxwood plans
By ANDREW EDER • The News Journal • October 27, 2009


The startup automaker announced its plans this morning at an event at the former General Motors factory, with officials including Vice President Joe Biden and Gov. Jack Markell in attendance.

Irvine, Calif.-based Fisker plans to use some of the proceeds from a $528 million U.S. government loan at the Boxwood plant, idle since July when General Motors ended production there. Fisker signed a letter of intent with Motors Liquidation Co. to purchase the plant for $18 million. Motor Liquidation is the legal entity disposing of unwanted GM assets in bankruptcy court.

The company expects to spend at least $175 million revamping the Boxwood plant to build a family-oriented sedan under development. Production would not begin again at the 62-year-old factory until 2012.

Fisker’s first car, the Karma, a luxury sedan with a starting price of $87,900, is being built in Finland by contract automaker Valmet Automotive. The company’s next car -- known as “Project Nina” -- will be a family sedan that’s expected to sell for about $40,000 after a $7,500 federal tax credit.

[supernova]

1. Fisker? The scissor people?

I didn't know they made cars. :shrug:

[alfredo]

4. They're pretty sharp too.

[supernova]

8. Ba dump -bump!

[shintao]

24. Hmmm, the styling......

Kind of reminds me of a pair of scissors.

[shintao]

25. Another American Patch job

Capitalism is a wonderful thing. Just throw another patch on reducing oil, by adding batteries to the pollution index and stressing the electrical grid to charge the pretty packaged beast. Can you ever have the glass highway? Not in America. We really don't want a solution that we might have to pay for and have the untrusted government run it.

[alfredo]

32. Pinking shears to be exact. BTW, it is a Hybrid.

[csziggy]

16. The scissors peopleare FiskAr not FiskEr.

[supernova]

17. Ah thanks

for the correction.

[AllentownJake]

2. Good news

However, 2012 production starts....$40,000 cars?

[treestar]

3. Sounds like a good thing

Will put some people back to work.

[AllentownJake]

5. In 2012

making $40,000 cars. Make sure you read the entire article.

[treestar]

6. They are revamping the factory first

Which they have to do. Someone will work on that.

The cars are expensive, but if somebody buys them, the workers aren't going to complain.

[AllentownJake]

7. Doesn't seem to me to be the soundest economic model

but who knows. Maybe there are people out there willing to pay $40,000 on electric cars.

This will have limited effect on the economic recovery. It is a good thing, but it isn't an economic recovery thing.

[LynneSin]

9. People pay $50k for a Hummer and that still needs gas

People also pay $50k for a Lexus and that still needs gas.

The car could compete especially if the cost of the Lithium Battery can come down a bit more in price.

[AllentownJake]

10. If it becomes a status symbol

and our government continues to destroy the value of our currency by printing money making oil more expensive people that can afford $40,000 cars will buy it.

If it doesn't become a status symbol for the wealthy than it is going to sink like a rock. People who buy Hummers weren't concerned about the price of gas.

[imdjh]

26. By 2012 electricar technology will probably be leaps and bounds different from now.

[TreasonousBastard]

11. Cheaper than a Lexus hybrid, and if $40,000 cars are dumb idea...

what's Mercedes and BMW been doing wrong all thee years?

I guess Porsche should forget about buying Volkswagen and just go out of business, since they deal in nothing but stupid. And we can't forget those really, really insane Ferraris and Bentleys...

[AllentownJake]

12. If it can become a status symbol it will be succesful

The brands you are citing sort of have a name that means

I'm rich mother fucker already.

[imdjh]

27. They also mean "I'm fast and I don't care how much gasoline it takes." What would an electric say?

"I'm really efficient. Stop blowing your horn at me, I'm accelerating as fast as greenly possible."?

[AllentownJake]

29. For $528 million dollars

They could have built the train from Allentown to New York that the area politicians have been lobbying for.

I think that would have done more to stimulate the economy in both these regions.

[AllentownJake]

30. Oh and the train

would have had 50 times the enviromental impact these cars will

:rofl:

[imdjh]

28. Not to mention the coal plants coming online to power these electric cars. nt

[LynneSin]

34. The hope is that wind will be replacing part of the coal

It's all part of the big picture

[treestar]

13. Anything is part of the recovery

Everything has to add up to make a recovery.

[AllentownJake]

14. That really is a silly statement

with no substance

[treestar]

20. So why is this particular thing, an opening of a factory and retooling it

creating new jobs not part of the recovery. You haven't explained the standard for what is not part of the recovery. You're the one being silly.

[AllentownJake]

21. We are spending 528 million dollars

To re-tool a factory to begin output in 3 years on a product that is focused on the high end of society? Let us say the factory employs 1000 people. That is $528,000 per job on a product that 75% of Americans could never dream to afford.

[LynneSin]

35. But Green is a status especially in this part of the country.

Why do you think the Delaware plant was picked over abandoned car plants in Michigan and the south? One reason - Fisker, did their research and realized that one of the big markets for Green Cars is going to be the Northeast Corridor of the United States starting somewhere in DC and going all points north. As another poster mentioned, this really is the only working car plant in the northeast and the railroad tracks go right thru the plant so it's easy to load on freshly made cars.

I'm only in Delaware but I see more hybrids on the road everyday. Hell I see Smartcars at least 2-3 times a week. So as you head up north you're going to see a bigger demand for these cars AND people who could easily afford $40k provided that they build the interior to compete with Lexus/Acura/Cadillac high end cars.

If Fisker picked Michigan or the South, there wouldn't be a large local market like you can find in the North East.

Finally, the main reason for the cost is the battery. And as battery technology improves you'll see the cost coming down for these types of cars. But until we put the product out there, there won't be a demand on making a more cost efficient battery.

And I know how you feel about the train system. I would like to see some of that money used to connect Newark DE to Elkton MD. That little strip of land between the two cities means that commuters south of Delaware do not have the option to take the MARC train into Wilmington. They either have to drive or use the more expensive Amtrak. Ironically, you can take some form of metro starting in Wilmington all the way up into New England. For $35 I can do a round trip from Wilmington to NYC - much nicer way to travel than on a Greyhound bus. There is plans to make that expansion but not until 2015 - I was hoping they'd find a way to push that sooner.

[old mark]

15. Cadillac Escalades run around $40 thousand, and they are PIGS.

If you can get snooty with it, people will go broke buying it.
(MSRP on '09 Escalade is $61,000 - $79,000, usual sticker prices start around $59,000. Gets around 12 mpg in the city.)
mark

[AllentownJake]

19. If you make a "Fisker" into a status symbol

Than the "Fisker" will sell.

People buy Escalades because they want others to see them in Escalades.

[old mark]

22. God alone knows why - indicates reall stupidity coupled with way too much

disposable income to me, but that's the way it is, Jake.

mark

[AllentownJake]

23. Consumer Society

It says Hey Mother Fuckers! Look at how much I can Consume!

[old mark]

36. Wednesday morning: I just saw an add for a BUICK that retails for

$36000 and goes up from there. I think I'm completely priced out of the new US car market. I hope there are enough of those consumers who still have jobs so they can buy these expensive cars.


mark

[redqueen]

18. ...

:rofl:

[FarCenter]

31. It would be the only car factory in the Boston-Washington metropolitan area

A region of over 50 million people should support at least one car plant.

[LynneSin]

33. That plant has been there for decades and use to be TWO in the area

the other being the Chysler Plant that was also closed recently. However, University of Delaware has bought that site for expansion of the University.

Trivia about the Chysler Plant - for a few years Bob Marley use to work at that plant. Yes that Bob Marley, Reggae legend. Perhaps when UDel opens whatever they are building on that site they can name the building after him!

[mdmc]

37. --