Rumormill: Fisker designed Tesla's upcoming Whitestar sedan
Click above for high-res live gallery of the Fisker Karma
For more than year, fans of Tesla Motors hoping for a more practical and affordable (relatively speaking) electric vehicle have been waiting for details on project WhiteStar. Rumors have run the gamut from something based on a Ford Fusion (no dice) to outright cancellation (not yet). The only consistent element has been the intention to build a battery-powered four-door sedan. The latest rumor to crop up has been that the styling of the car was the work of one Henrik Fisker. You might recall that Fisker unveiled a styling buck for a planned plug-in hybrid sedan bearing his own name at this years Detroit Auto Show.
As the story goes, Fisker was contracted by Tesla to design the bodywork for the WhiteStar, then later dismissed by the San Carlos company. Tesla VP Darryl Siry declined to confirm or deny the veracity of the story. Our sources however indicate the final look of the WhiteStar retains nothing of Fisker's drawings. Siry has confirmed that Tesla will reveal the WhiteStar later this spring after they have begun customer deliveries of the Roadster. The new sedan will start off as a battery-only vehicle but it is being designed to accommodate a range extended configuration as well.
[Source: Street Import Online, via Autoblog]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
kert 11:33AM (4/14/2008)
You are starting on a wrong foot.. for more than a year, Tesla fans have been waiting for ANYTHING that they could drive.
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brian hague 2:25PM (4/14/2008)
umm... wasn't this last week's news on autoblog? and Tesla denied the charge?
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Joseph 6:33PM (4/14/2008)
"WhiteStar retains nothing of Fisker's drawings"
From Merriam-Webster...
re·tain
1. a. to keep in possession or use
b. to keep in mind or memory
This suggests that once-upon-a-time Fisker may have provided sketches for Tesla. Tesla has said in the past (on one of their blogs, I belive) that they had a design contest for the Roadster, so why not for Whitestar?
But honestly, does it really matter? Fisker may or may not have provided Tesla design sketches?
So what? They didn't steal something or hurt someone.
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jake 1:51AM (4/15/2008)
@Sam Abuelsamid
A very urgent UPDATE, Sam! Seems that Tesla is SUING Fisker!
"The Tesla lawsuit contends that Mr. Fisker and his chief operating officer, Bernhard Koehler, doing business under the name Fisker Coachbuild, fraudulently agreed to take on Tesla’s $875,000 design contract to gain access to confidential design information and trade secrets, then announced a competing vehicle. Last fall Mr. Fisker founded Fisker Automotive, which is backed by the venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers."
I think Nytimes saves their news into an archive or something after a few days, so it's probably good to save a copy for quoting.
Link:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/15/technology/15tesla.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
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