The stylish Karma, a plug-in gasoline hybrid, doesn't quite look like the quintessential eco car.
Even as Ferraris, Lamborghinis and Rolls-Royces prowled the avenue, the obscure silver sedan parked at the curb gathered its share of stares and curiosity.The Fisker Karma, as it is called, has looks that rival a Mercedes-Benz roadster. Yet the key to what makes it different is emblazoned on the sides in chrome letters: Plug-in Hybrid.
The maker, Fisker Automotive, is trying to carve out a niche in what is fast anticonvulsant becoming a crowded field of next-generation electric vehicles: a high-performance eco-car loaded with style.
The company has taken more than 1,400 refundable deposits so far for the Karma, which has a starting price of $87,900 and can top $100,000. The car can be driven for 50 miles on electric power alone before its auxiliary gasoline engine fires up to generate more juice and extend the range to up to 300 miles. The engine never directly drives the wheels.
[Source: USA Today]