Fisker to deliver Beetle-bashing EV ‘like nothing you’ve seen’

EV startup Fisker is planning to reinvent the wheel. Or, at least, the car.

Fisker chief Henrik Fisker has given the first clues of the soon-to-be-revealed second car from the fledgling brand that is currently ramping up to sell the Ocean SUV that will compete with the Tesla Model Y and Hyundai Ioniq 5.

Fisker likened the new model to the significance of the original Volkswagen Beetle and Mini and referenced Isaac Newton, adding “the inspiration for this project has come from some unconventional sources”.

Like the Mini and Beetle cars, he wants the new affordable Fisker to “create a vehicle that can go across social borders”.

“It will be like nothing you’ve seen before,” Fisker is quoted as saying in overseas reports.

His comments came as the Fisker car company confirmed it had inked a deal with Foxconn, the Taiwanese-based manufacturer best known for assembling the iPhone for Apple. Last year Foxconn announced an open-source EV platform it wants to utilise for future electric models, although there was no mention of that in the Fisker-Foxconn announcement.

Listed as a project called PEAR – Personal Electronic Automotive Revolution – the two will jointly develop the new model that is planned to be sold in North America, Europe, China and India, among other markets. Production is planned for late 2023.

“We created our company to disrupt every convention in the auto industry,” said Fisker of the announcement.

“The creation of Project PEAR with Foxconn brings together two like-minded and complementary companies, each focused on creating new value in a traditional industry. We will create a vehicle that crosses social borders, while offering a combination of advanced technology, desirable design, innovation and value for money, whilst delivering on our commitment to create the world’s most sustainable vehicles.”

The first Fisker car – the Ocean mid-sized SUV, which is currently being pre-sold – will initially be manufactured by Magna International at Graz in Austria (the same plant that manufactures the BMW Z4, Mercedes-Benz G-Wagen and Toyota Supra, among others).

The former Aston Martin design chief also used the announcement to take a swipe at the automotive industry, which is undergoing immense change.

In the rush to implement autonomous and semi-autonomous technology, incorporate advanced connectivity and switch to electric motors, traditional car makers are being attacked by new players – the most successful and influential of which is Tesla – and tech companies keen to play in a fast-evolving space.

“The auto industry is very stale,” Fisker is quoted as saying.

“We still talk about adopting the Toyota manufacturing system,” he said of the current production line processes that have been widely adopted.

“I have full confidence that they can do this and maybe have ideas that are outside the box,” he added.

Fisker has grand plans to take on Tesla and others with a range of vehicles and a unique subsription model that allows people to regularly switch between vehicles.

The company has also hinted it plans to build a Fisker ute.