Fisker to set up technical centre in India, aims to charge up EV space

California-based EV maker Fisker Inc is reportedly setting up a technical centre in India. The brand formerly known as Fisker Automotive – a company founded in 2007 and defunct by 2014 – was then rechristened Fisker Inc by founder Henrik Fisker. At present, Fisker Inc makes one car, the Fisker Ocean – a mid-sized electric SUV that’s scheduled to go into production by the end of 2022. However, that’s not why the brand is coming to India.

Fisker Inc also happens to be working on another car named the Pear. The Technical Centre which is to be set up in Hyderabad, will utilise India’s incredible software development capabilities for the moment, although Fisker plans to establish a manufacturing base in the country, with the Pear set to be the first product. For its manufacturing operations, Fisker is partnering up with Taiwanese electronics contract manufacturer Foxconn. Founder Henrik Fisker told ETAuto that the Pear has been earmarked for sale in India and China because of its relatively low price tag of roughly Rs 22 lakh, and that the company is looking at volume production for the Pear to make financial sense.

Fisker Automotive broke into the automotive scene with much fanfare, back in 2007, with Henrik Fisker’s illustrious design portfolio doing most of the talking. As a former designer for Aston Martin (DB9) and BMW (Z8), Fisker’s next product manufactured under the eponymous brand name, was received with much fanfare and celebrity patronage from the likes of Leonardo DiCaprio. The Fisker Karma – a four-door electric sports sedan – attracted much legal trouble for the brand, with the likes of Tesla fighting over its technology. Despite a $200 million loan from the United States Department of Energy (back in 2009), Fisker Automotive’s relatively short run ended in bankruptcy, with the firm officially going defunct in 2014. The Karma now lives on as a separate EV brand.

With a new lease on life, Fisker Inc is shaping up to be a very different brand. The Ocean is its first offering, and is likely to be launched in North American and European markets by November, while Fisker parallelly continues to set up a base in India, to focus on Asian markets. Fisker Automotive never got that far. Henrik Fisker’s wife Geeta Fisker hails from India, a fact which has undoubtedly helped establish a personal connection with the country. The Fisker Ocean, boasts of a 560 km range (in top trim) and is priced around Rs 28 lakh and Rs 52 lakh for the dual-motor, long-range version. In terms of pricing, this is a considerable departure from the Karma, which upon launch in 2007, was priced at $100,000 (Rs 74.7 lakh according to the current exchange rate). The Ocean is also going the extra mile to differentiate itself from other EVs on the sustainability front, featuring vegan leather interiors, much like Volvo Cars, and other interior material made out of recycled fishing nets. Fisker also intends to beat Tesla to the punch when it comes to local production of cars in India. However, at present, Tesla has not shown any interest in establishing local manufacturing in India, or working on a low-cost EV. Prior to the manufacturing of the Pear, Fisker intends to bring the Ocean in as a fully-built import.

Fisker is a relatively unknown brand, particularly for India, whose EV scene is in its nascent stage. While more and more EVs are scheduled for launch in the coming years, the need of the hour still remains a budget EV for electric mobility to become mainstream. The Pear, if launched could sit in the highly coveted sub Rs 25 lakh spot where it would compete with other ICE suvs, a lot of which offer three-row seating options. However, Fisker, whose origins lie in performance cars, will go on to diversify its portfolio with more high-end performance EV options and a custom EV for the Pope himself.