The car brand that cut prices to get out of the crisis

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Despite the fact that it is becoming more widespread, In the electric vehicle market, few people still dare to bet; especially when talking about players without much history. This is because despite the scalability that these types of vehicles have around the world and the measures that are being taken to promote them, there is still no guarantee that they will definitely be the answer to the future of mobility.

It is in this scenario of change and vertigo in the sector that the Fisker, an American company that was on the verge of bankruptcy for the second time since its founding in 2007, has reduced the prices of its cars from almost $69,000 to $20,000.

The company’s origins date back to 2007 under the name Fisker Automotive. Its founder, Henrik Fisker Danish car designer who worked for BMW And Aston Martinwanted to be part of the premature panorama of new mobility, and introduced its first model, the Karma, a plug-in hybrid, in 2008.

Although he gained fame in the market at that time, the fame was short-lived. Following technical and production problems, as well as the bankruptcy of a battery supplier, according to reports, In 2013, Fisker Automotive filed for bankruptcy.

Three years later, after a long period of radio silence, Fisker, from the ashes of its predecessor. Fisker’s new company, founded with his wife, focused on 100% electric vehicles, leaving behind interest in hybrid technologies.

In 2020, they announced the release of the brand’s flagship model – Fisker OceanA Large electric SUV with solar roof, 300 hp. and more than 500 kilometers of autonomy. in the initial version (there are three of them: One, Extreme and Ultra).

Production began in 2022 with collaboration Magna Steyr in Austria, car reservations have also begun to be accepted US$250.

Once again the script looked promising. In fact, in 2021, Fisker himself had an audience with Papa Francisco where the project was identified for the production of the Popemobile based on the Ocean.

Once again, glory will be fleeting. Apparently due to supply problems, in combination with technical glitches, devastating criticism and therefore demand is lower than expected Fisker’s financial situation began to become difficult.

Although the firm has not yet officially declared its bankruptcy status, there are several signs that its arrival at this port is imminent.

To begin with, due to low demand and bad reviews, the company accumulated significant debt and incurred losses. cancellation of more than 40,000 Ocean bookings.

In countries like SpainFor the entire 2023, only one Ocean unit was patented, and not a single one in 2024, follows from a note in the El País automobile section. For our part, in Franceearly May the company has stopped supporting its customers – no help, no insurance, no spare parts – so the damage ended up entirely in the hands and wallets of the SUV owners.

Also in May last year, in an attempt to buy time to reorganize its operations and find investors, Fisker GmbH, the company’s Austrian subsidiary, asked for protection from creditorsa procedure similar to preventive bankruptcy in the United States.

All this contributed loss of trust in the company, in its vehicles and in its depreciation.

To show that there is still movement within the brand, Fisker announced the emergence of new models, all electric: pear, a more urban SUV than the Ocean and theoretically more affordable; He Alaska, pickup; And Ronin, Sport Car. However, given its status, its materialization is somewhat uncertain.

Following the same survival principles, in March the company announced a price cut of its Ocean by more than 60%, making it the cheapest electric vehicle in the United States. Various versions of the SUV They started out at US$25,000 when their original price reached US$68,999.

On the other hand, a week ago an email was published on Reddit in which Fisker addresses his employees to inform them that for them the price of the SUV will be US$20,000 in any of its versions, provided that they confirm the purchase within the next 24 hours.

In the same letter, the manufacturer made a clarification with an asterisk, explaining that while options for continuing operations were being considered, “The firm makes no representations about what warranty coverage will be available in the future, including whether services, parts or upgrades will be available.”

In short, although the discounts that Fisker is giving are huge, the risk of buying the Ocean is much greater than the benefit, mainly because normal after-sales service is not guaranteed.

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