Remember Fisker? The reborn EV brand rose that sort of rose from the ashes of the Karma and is currently shipping the Ocean compact crossover? It turns out, the Magna-built Ocean is just the start of a serious product offensive, and it’s going in a whole different direction from Tesla’s product plans. Last night, Fisker released new details on three upcoming products, and they couldn’t be more different. One is a dirt-cheap crossover, one is a high-end grand tourer, and one is a small pickup truck — the Fisker Pear, Ronin, and Alaska, respectively. Shall we dive in and see what’s what?
Cheap And Cheerful
While the Ocean is a great start for Fisker, the Pear is the product we’ve all been waiting for — a fully-fledged EV with an MSRP of $29,990. Oh, and the theoretical deal gets even sweeter. Fisker says it will build the Pear in America to qualify for the federal $7,500 tax credit, resulting in a theoretical net price of $22,400, plus to-be-announced freight costs and all that jazz. So, what does a $29,900 EV crossover look like? Well, it’s definitely weird, but in a good way.
One of the Pear’s biggest exterior features is its GM wagon-style motorized hideaway tailgate. Fisker calls this the Houdini Trunk, and while it seems cool, I do have some concerns about rearward visibility. For the rear glass to drop down into the tailgate, it needs to be relatively narrow, resulting in large pillars. Still, it should offer convenient tight-space access to the rear cargo area, and that’s not the only place you can put things in a Pear. Fisker also claims that the Pear has a proper frunk, and the dashboard is built like a shelving unit.
Speaking of the interior, the Pear offers unusual seating for up to six thanks to the option of a bench front seat, and those seats turn into a bed. Given how electric cars usually don’t have driveshafts to create humps in their floors, bringing back the front bench makes a great deal of sense. However, if that doesn’t tickle your fancy, Fisker will sell the Pear with individual front seats and a large storage console.
Henrik Fisker touts that the Pear contains 35 percent fewer parts than rival EVs, and it’s easy to see where some of the cost savings are coming from. For instance, all four armrests are exactly the same part, simplifying the number of unique components. Likewise, a new 5G-capable in-house computer called Fisker Blade lets two modules run everything, a massive change from the litany of electronic modules running most new cars today.
Fisker claims it’ll have the Pear on sale in mid-2025, at which point it might not be the only cheap EV on the market. Chevrolet has recently committed to bringing back the popular Bolt EV, and given the purported $30,000 starting price of the Equinox EV crossover, the second-generation Bolt should continue to fill a cheap-and-cheerful niche. Oh yeah, and then there’s that $30,000 Equinox EV going toe-to-toe with the Pear on base price and form factor. Could the affordable EV era finally be on the horizon?
License To Thrill
Next up is the Fisker Ronin, a four-door convertible with a carbon fiber hardtop named after the Frankenheimer film. Wait, four-door convertible? Indeed, Fisker has bestowed this thing with rear-hinged rear doors like a Mazda RX-8 for easier rear seat access, an unorthodox yet shrewd move for a grand tourer.
Speaking of grand touring, Fisker expects a 600-mile range thanks to body-integrated cells. Total capacity hasn’t been stated, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s absolutely huge. Since power is often a product of range, the Ronin features a tri-motor AWD cranking out a claimed 1,000-plus horsepower. It’s expected to rocket the Ronin to 60 mph in around two seconds, right up there with some of the quickest electric road cars on the market. Each Ronin will be hand-built and have a price tag to match, so considering this flagship as a true Karma successor isn’t farfetched. Fisker claims the Ronin will come to market in late 2025, potentially breathing new life into Childish Gambino’s “Fiskers don’t make noise when they start up, just so you know” line.
Pick-Me-Up
Finally, Fisker surprised everyone with the Fisker Alaska, a compact electric pickup truck based on the Ocean crossover. As it stands, it’s a running, driving prototype, and although it’s not shown driving very quickly, I wouldn’t be surprised if development is far along. With canted C-pillars and unibody construction, it feels like an electric competitor to the Hyundai Santa Cruz, a lifestyle pickup primarily aimed at hobbyists. However, it features something that neither the Santa Cruz nor the Ford Maverick can match.
See, the Alaska has a powered midgate similar to the Houdini Trunk on the Pear, a game-changer for the small truck segment. While the short beds of existing competitors are useful, longer beds are even more practical. The Fisker Alaska sports a 4.5-foot bed with the midgate up, a 7.5-foot bed length with the midgate down, and 9.6 feet of cargo area length with the tailgate down. Huge figures, small truck, and the sort of thing that makes you wonder why nobody’s done this in a compact truck before.
Electric vehicle startups often lean on eye-catching features, and early signs point toward the Alaska not being short on gimmicks. During Fisker’s presentation, Henrik Fisker showed off what is claimed to be the “world’s largest cupholder” and a cowboy hat holder, because yee-haw.
Fisker is targeting a range of 230 to 340 miles depending on powertrain configuration, which seems alright for this sort of duty and price. The Alaska is said to carry a $45,400 starting MSRP, which is extremely competitive, and it will be built in America to qualify for IRA tax incentives. Because it’s based on the existing Ocean model, Henrik Fisker predicts a launch in late 2024 or early 2025, roughly 18 months away. If you’ve been wishing for a plug-in hybrid or electric Ford Maverick, this could shape up to be the next-best thing.
Rubber, Meet Road
Now, Fisker has stacked the deck to some degree by utilizing contract manufacturing, but there are still supplier deals to be worked out, pre-production units to be built, and certification to undergo. In short, a lot needs to happen before these vehicles can get into customer hands. Maybe we need some sort of EV startup reality litmus test? Something like a non-employee has to drive an example on roads outside of company property, or something of that sort. Either way, I’m hopeful that all three make production before the next World Cup. The Alaska looks seriously fun and the Pear sits in a price bracket that people need EVs to exist in. I guess we’ll just have to set our clocks for 2025 and see what happens.
(Photo credits: Fisker, Inc.)
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I wonder if they’ll honor the warranty when that crossover goes pear-shaped.
(sorry, I had to)
The factory didn’t shut down. Lordstown Motors shut down. Foxconn owns the factory. They build electric tractors there right now
Flop city
I honestly would like to know who puts down a deposit for these.
Considering they have begun deliveries of the Ocean, a deposit on one of these probably makes more sense than some others. But I looked at the deposit amount on the Ronin…$2000 feels steep. The others are all $250, which is a little worse than the $100 others are asking, but not a horrible amount.
That also makes me think the Ronin is going to be way too expensive.
I have a deposit down for the Pear and the Volvo EX30. Both are refundable so what is there to lose? My final decision on which one I stick with will most likely come down to the vehicle’s price-to-EV-range equation. Rumors say that the Pear may only come with 150 miles in base trim whereas the EX30, though starting about 5k more (before tax incentives), will have 275 miles. That’s worth an extra 5k to me. We’ll see.
Given Fiskers lack of cash situation, they are hiding from the paperboy for this weeks payment of $3.00. How do you get 3rd parties to agree to build equipment and molds for pie in the sky promises?
Are they so cash strapped that they couldn’t afford decent stage lighting for the event?
Well done!
are you saying they all want their two dollars?
“I said a dollar bitch!”
-Scary Movie
The Fisker baby truck is interesting. I just think it’s funny that it’s named for Alaska, a place where they’ll probably never sell a single one.
I don’t think Renault would be too happy for a pickup named Alaska when they had their own.
Im impressed by what Henrik Fisker is capable of. He has been in the game a long time as a car designer (or stylist if you will), getting it all together with engineering, and most impressive of all: volume manufacturing is nothing short of incredible! I hope things go as intended for him!!
Plus from all I can parse he is not an asshole like Elon. Seals the deal for me.
Figures that the best one of the bunch would be a super exclusive bespoke “if you have to ask the price, you can’t afford it” type of deal.
Oh well, guess the EV future for the people is tall, frumpy appliances and 4 and a half ton pickups to not offend anyone’s fragile masculinity because “it’s the only way we can fit the batteries and those types of vehicles sell better”, while rich people get all of cooler, sleeker stuff because “we don’t sell enough to take advantage of economies of scale”. Yay capitalism!
The pick-up looks like ass. The faux-RX-8 is ok, and the Pear isn’t so bad, but that backlit P E A R lettering upfront is so deeply unnecessary.
The choices in electric vehicles are increasing, and range is improving. Creativity in design is accelerating, as well. Good times!
you damned yourself over some friskers.
from what i understand, this has nothing to do with lordstown motors, but only with the factory space and foxconn. A big “we’ll see” to be sure.
Hmmm, as a Wisconsinite I would not trust Foxconn in any way, shape or matter. They are mostly vampire capitalists with no souls, ethics or conscience. Ef them with a pitchfork.
I thought they had already publicly abandoned the solid-state claims. Pretty sure they’re just slated to use the same chemistries in the Pear as the Ocean.
I’m very happy to see the progress on the PEAR–I (sucker born every minute) put in a deposit on one in Feb 2022. To address the rearview situation, my guess is it will probably have video rearview mirror like the ocean. Last, no way we’re getting the solar roof for 29,900. Bracing myself for $40+K for solar roof and extended range. Love the idea of a front bench, 6 passenger compact ‘hatchback.’
Outside the context of where these will reportedly be built and the fact that like 90% of EVs from non established manufacturers are 100% scams, I guess I’m kind of excited. That little crossover looks like a cyber punk Kia Soul, which sounds weird but like many folks here I love weird. I also think the Santa Cruz 2049 trucklet looks kind of neat as well.
The grand tourer thing is unobtantium and 1,000+ horsepower 2 second 0-60 EVs are a dime a dozen and incredibly stupid. Anyway…we’ll see where this goes. I’m not optimistic at all. EVs are so uniquely good at being disappointing and I’ve been hurt enough times to know better than to expect anything legit at this point.
The Pear is slated to be built by Foxconn at their Lordstown, OH plant (former GM plant and home of…..Lordstown Motors.)
Other than the fact that the wheels are way too big on the Pear and Ronin, they don’t look bad at all. I can almost believe that they aren’t varporware… almost.
Truck folk need and use a real tailgate. An instance where EV makes HAVE to make a feature different. Even if it’s less functional, reliable and not needed.
With most EV automakers struggling to replicate Tesla’s vertical integration (and margins), the idea of outsourcing the entire production is quite radical. If Fisker can do this profitably it opens up a whole world of possibilities for boutique car designs.
When Fisker calls it the Houdini trunk, I expect more than a door that retracts into the floor (and eats up space under the trunk), I’d say the Pear has more of a Copperfield trunk. I do wish Fisker had spent the money and effort to integrate a Blaine trunk, as the door actually completely disappears when it’s not needed.
I’m actually slightly intrigued.They look promising.
Now lets see them in daylight and, you know, in production
Visually, like most of the images here, I’m still in the dark about what these cars look like.
Couldn’t agree more
The post and images provided a little illumination
I know there’s about no chance it sees production, but a Fisker-designed four-seater convertible electric GT is just about every spot on my dream-car bingo card.
So Henrik’s 1st company went belly up, bc while the product arguably looked nice it was practically speaking a disaster & no one bought them.
I Do love he’s giving it another go. Major tech. changes like ice to ev makes for excellent business opportunities & I love that they are looking to introduce an affordable & (hopefully practical) 5 door in the Pear.
Anyone know where us the new Fisker’s financing coming from? Pls tell me its not the Saudis.
Anyone know their battery pack form factor, chemistry & sourcing? Not explody / challenged LG chem hopefully?
BYD? CATL? Panasonic? Other?
https://fiskerati.com/fisker-ocean/the-ev-battery-in-your-fisker-ocean/
Looks like they penned a long term deal w/CATL in 2021
I’m surprised Valmet isn’t making Fiskers considering they made the old ones and CATL also owns 23% of Valmet Automotive these days.
Second company. His first was rebodied BMWs.
As skeptical of fisker as can be, but bring on an affordable (by todays standards) compact EV truck!
I mentioned in another thread that Matt Farah of The Smoking Tire recently had a pre-production (prototype-quality) Fisker Ocean to drive.
… ouch. I believe they just did some production-grade press demos in Austria (since the Ocean is built by Magna-Steyr). It’ll be interesting to see what comes out of those.
EVs are very much in a weird state right now, from all manufacturers. The whole reason Porsche lost its usual top/near-the-top spot in J.D. Power? The Taycan. There’s just going to be a lot of teething issues over the next 10-15 years, and I don’t think anyone is immune from it. At least Tesla has the powertrain and core systems well sorted, but general build quality can be a dice roll.
I mean, it’s like the days of vapor lock, cars overheating, etc. being normal pre-war and immediately post war. Think of how much engines developed over that time — we’re there with batteries, battery management systems, motor control, etc. All over again. It wasn’t until the mid-80s that most cars were genuinely pretty good, and today there’s not really a “bad” ICE car at all. Hopefully it doesn’t take that long to figure everything out, but it’s likely we’re getting another version of those many years of learning.
I had Karma as a customer for a few years, post fisker, but still.
It was not a serious company.
I’m amazed fisker has made it this far, honestly. Cool ideas though!
They said these are going to be built by Foxconn in Ohio. In other words, the Lordstown plant. Nothing weird going on there these days, I’m sure they’ll get things going right on schedule and under budget.
(Don’t get me wrong, I like the concepts here, I hope things work out)
Well, at least there’s less hurricane risk than building them in Finland and importing through New Jersey
What other cars has Foxconn built, is this going to be their first time?
I’m not sure what Foxconn is connected to in China, but Lordstown Motors, who sold the plant to Foxconn in 2022, has delivered at least 6 trucks as of spring 2023. That is more trucks than I’ve ever built in my entire life.
They build electric tractors and built fewer than 50 Lordstown Endurance trucks
Besides Apple products, Foxconn does some very complex assemblies that use sheet metal, extrusions, injection molded plastics, multi layer PCBAs, diecasting, etc. I’ve been to their site in Longhua that has over 500k employees (that’s not a typo). So even if they haven’t done cars yet, it’s not a big leap to think they have the expertise to do it.
I like what they are offering in a lot of ways, but I still can’t get behind putting most functions on a touch screen.