Bankrupt - Fisker Automotive
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 24 ก.ย. 2020
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In 2012 there were two major "eco", luxury sedans. Everyone knows about the Tesla Model S and how it succeeded and went on to re-shape the entire auto industry... but many don't know about its rival at the time, Fisker Automotive. They were just as ambitious as Tesla, with a former BMW designer at the helm, guiding their flagship, the Fisker Karma into production. However it ultimately failed and just a few years later the entire company went under. So join me as we explore what happened and how Fisker may be back from the grave and trying another time to take on the automotive industry!
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"It was 2007"
Great year to start a luxury car company, absolutely nothing bad on the horizon
Ouch!
Actually that was a good time as buying machinery and maybe even buying or building a factory would have been cheaper, it worked for tesla by the time they started selling the model S in 2012/13.
Wasn't that the great recession I don't remember what happened in 2007 I was probably still in preschool
Jose Escobedo You are correct, the recession lasted from around December 2007 to June 2009.
Hindsight is 20/20 huh?
Fisker is a great car designer, he shouldn’t have become a businessman
Wiejeben truest statement about fisker
He is the exact opposite of Elon Musk who was a great business man that shouldn't have become a car designer.
@@BlueOvals24 elon doesn't design cars. In fact he hired Fisker and they had a legal dispute because there's only so many ways to draw a door handle.
@@chikato7106 wait- What? please tell me more
@@chikato7106 Well he sure loves to credit himself as a designer
You can say that Fisker has... bad karma?
I’ll let myself out.
Hahahahahahah.
I kinda feel like I still have to say it... GET OUT!!!!
I was thinking the same thing.
LMFAO, you will FOMO in 2021.
Nono come back
“Fisker had ambition and started Fisker Automotive...”
Oh, yes.
“...in 2007.”
Oh, no.
Fisker's don't make noise when they start up, just so you know.
I was looking for this comment. I knew it had to be here somewhere. That line is always the first thing that comes to my mind whenever someone mentions Fisker.
came here specifically for this comment
Most electric cars make very little noise when you start them up since they don't need an explosion or fuel ignition.
@@frens_till_the_end it's a song
Such an amazing song/album
They offered me a job over the phone interview in 2012. It would mean I had to take a gamble and relocate. Hearing the company was struggling, I turned them down. Car’s entry and exit was so uncomfortable, you felt as if sitting on the floor. The view out of the car was terrible as well, you could barely judge the size of the car. From design standpoint it looked awesome but it simply wasn’t practical in every day use
No kidding!
Massive Exterior size but subcompact based on interior room
As someone who drives on the view out of the rear. And the back seats are a little small. But it’s a good car overall and fairly reliable
i remember justin bieber’s manager giving him a karma on the ellen show, i had no idea they were such poor quality cars and all this was going on behind the scenes lol
ok
A perfect fit: Poor quality car on a poorer quality show.
@@tedschmitt178 With an even poorerer quality guest
According to Ashlee Vance's book on Elon Musk, Fisker was hired as an outside consultant to design the original Tesla vehicle. Fisker refused to deliver rough drafts before the deadline. Then presented a model completely different to what Tesla asked for. The two companies then split paths.
remember when justin bieber got one and everyone got super hyped about the entire brand?
Childish Gambino referred to it in “Sweatpants” from Because the Internet.
Jo Bic Yeah, I thought of that when I saw this.
That stupid chrome car...
@@jstyxx4110 "fiskers don't a sound tho"
Think thats what turned people off from the car. No one wants a car that reminds em of Justin Bieber
Back in the day, I was rooting hard for Fisker. Thought it was WAY cooler than the Model S. But, with issue after issue and them going up in literal flames, its no wonder Tesla won out. I did see a Fisker a couple times when they first came out. Stunning in person.
Both of my parents had an involvement in Fisker, my dad with cooling, my mom with the parts network, both saying it was terrible
This guy has a lot of similarities to John DeLorean
do Delorean the next episode of bankrupt...
would definitely watch it.
@Paul Wieringa umm.. worked for a large American automotive company, was an adored name in the business. Left to start his own company, took a bunch of money he could never pay back to make a car that was beautiful and loved by the worlds media only to realize its a heap of junk and no one wants to buy it. Did everything in his power to get more money from government and other investors to make the same heap of shit car that no one wanted until it all came to a close and lost all his reputation in the process
Other than the drugs, its almost a copy paste story
Yeah just a little less cocaine
Video suggestion: Elio Motors. The people who couldn't design a Geo Metro powered Tricycle for less than $10k.
I had high hopes for them, then a lot of people thought it was a grift by Paul Elio, but I was still hoping, and it never went anywhere. Jalopnik has some good articles on it.
$10k is a mid sized motorcycle price. Making a trike for less then that would be extremely difficult
as someone in Louisiana, who remembers the news about the plant opening up around here, I would be very curious
@@ArcMedicalResearch same here. I live about 10 minutes from the old GM plant and everyone seemed to be excited for a manufacturer to move in but.....here we are, with nothing to show and no answers.
Might as well start developing a video for Nikola.....
My cousin left his job at Tesla for a job at Fisker and was acting kind of stuck up about it lol I'm guessing he really regrets that decision.
Ooh🙃
Fisker is one of those cars you have to see in person to understand it's unique look.
This actually gives me hope for the Fisker Ocean. So far it seems they’ve learned from those hard lessons. Time will tell.
This time it appears Fisker is contracting the manufacturing of the car to an established auto manufacturer.
The Fisker Ocean is doing amazing!!!
It looks really nice, I love the design of
Uh oh...
I’ve seen one of these. It sounded like a what you would imagine a flying saucer would sound like. It was a really cool droning sound.
It has actual speakers in the back where the exhaust pipes would normally be, that's where that sound comes from. Fisker anticipated there would be legislation put in place that would require electric cars to make some kind of sound for safety reasons, so they came up with that weird drone.
@@IndeedBeni - that's quite true. California was thinking of mandating it as well as some cities specifically because of pedestrian accidents (although cities like San Francisco still have a staggering number of them regardless of vehicle type). I was in CA in the 2000s and remember the articles talking about putting them on not just EVs but Hybrids which ran silent (in town) as well.
You’ve only seen one ? I see em tooling around fairly freaquently here in socal.
Ikr their so fcking loud in parking lots 😂
Lehman Brothers and Enron should be next for Bankrupt episodes.
They both went on fascinating journeys from morally bankrupt to financially bankrupt.
And GM.
David J It was already released in Bankrupt series. As second or third epsiode. Search it in youtube.
Dana West i thought he did enron
nevermind, that was coldfusion
Tesla should just hire him as a designer. His eye is good, execution is horrible.
They did
🤣🤦🏻♂️😁👍 they did, he shafted them, then Karma literally chased him down and kicked his backside
He was the first designer for Tesla and although he was being paid a very high salary, he kept delivering junk designs as he kept his best designs for himself as he wanted to launch his company. He was then fired from Tesla and the rest is history.
Haha. They did, and he screwed them. Big lawsuit.
Fuck no... I honestly think that model s is way better looking than the karma... simple yet still looks a car made in 2020 it does not age at al
The dealership group I worked for in Alabama actually had a fisker dealer in it. It was such a strange car but we did actually manage to sell a few
Bankrupt is my favourite series of yours. These stories are so interesting and even if I'm familiar with what happened, like with Fisker, you always manage to find new angles I hadn't thought of and dig up information I didn't know. Great work!
I just got food, what great timing. Thanks for the quality content
Hope you enjoy it!
@@jerrossclarito6119 where do you live then
He left BMW in 2001!? That explains a lot now.
I remember seeing a few of these around when I was younger. There was one red one and one silver one I used to see at a local ice cream shop, part of me thinks they were both owned by the same guy. They're definitely a lot more striking in person than on the screen.
I still remember Jeremy joking the Fisker Karma as the "Fister" lolll
Another solid episode.
Suggestion for next Bankrupt: Shopko or Payless Shoesource
Payless! Please! My mom used to always go there. What happened!
Man Payless!
I used to see them everywhere. Love to see a vid on that
@@Blackwolffe097 hacker
@@gangsnapp_yt5945
...what?
Abandoned: Payless ShoeSource
Fisker is back, with the Ocean, great electric SUV. I wish them well.
This series and honestly entire channel is so great. I love these videos so much, they give me something interesting to watch and listen to while working on my work for college and also let me learn a bunch of really interesting stuff. Keep going Jake!
I know this has been put into comments many times before, but for Bankrupt, consider looking into the Penn Central Railroad. It was, until Enron went bankrupt, the biggest bankruptcy in US History. It went bankrupt less than 2 years after beginning service, and itself was made out of a series of bankrupt railroads. The only way Northeastern Railroading could be saved was for the US government to step in and partially take over. Many of the lines owned by Penn Central still are run today, and I think it would make for a very interesting video given the level of detail and research you put into your work.
Thanks for all the great videos, and I hope you are doing well and staying safe!!
Moving climate controls to a touch screen is a stupid and unsafe idea!
Agreed
Touch screens have a place, but it's with buttons and knobs, not instead of.
Touch screens work great !!!
When you wake up from a nap in your self driving car and want to watch BSF on TH-cam before you arrive....
How often do you regulate the climate control? After adjusting vents it is only the temperature left which is controlled by voice
@@casperhansen826 a lot, actually. Doug DeMuro has it on point. Not everything needs to be on a damn screen. It's more inconvenient to go from Home > Settings > Climate Control > Up/Down/Left/Right or whatever. A simple dial does the job better.
Funnily enough I was just about to look into this company. Now I get a full Bankrupt vid on them... thanks Jake!
Hope this filled you in on all the info!
I'd like to see an episode on Bricklin. People today will tell you they were terrible, but my dad had one of the AMC-powered ones and loved it. Liked it better in every way than the similar-year 327 Corvette his brother had at the time. Their story is pretty fascinating too. Some of the issues they had with the assembly line workers in Nova Scotia were jaw-dropping.
I knew a guy in high school whose dad owned a Fisker Karma. He drove it to school one day so everyone could check it out. It was pretty cool to see an expensive car up close like that.
Fisker failed however failure doesn’t mean it’s over. He is more experience now due to the past failure.
Jaco131 , well I hope he succeeds we need more US car companies 💁♂️
Ya, but out of MONEY!!!
@@M0A0R0k00W0Y0L0D0E Yup. US designers and manufacturers have the potential and experience to create exceptional offerings. Best of luck to Fisker
@@shaneb1313 out of money? That's what the spaq merger will accomplish.
That’s exactly the same thought Thomas Edison had every time he failed at making a lightbulb that worked however, it only cost cents to make a new lightbulb, not millions!!!!🤣🤣🤣
Next Episode: Enron
Just watch Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room
Oof Enron is going to be a complex one to talk about~
Eneco we watched that in my intro to business class in freshman year.
I'd watch that!
NIKOLA
Jake, your videos are always so informative. I learn a lot about abandoned locations and old companies that were once at their peak to how they went bankrupt. Thank you for this insightful and unique content.
Thank you so much! That means a lot
A few years ago I saw a Fisker Karma in a Home Depot parking lot. It really stood out.
Fiskers really dont make noise when they start up, just so you know.
😂🤙🍻
vroom vroom
Damn, beat me to it
Dont be mad because im doing me better than you doing you
ain’t nobody sicker in my Fisker
One of my dad’s friends had worked at Fisker after he worked at Ford. He then left Fisker when he saw the writing on the wall.
i think you need to make a part 2 of this video since their second startup failed again
My father used to work for the company. I got to ride in one of the cars as they were coming into the country at a storage facility. Beautiful cars. Shame as to what happened with them.
Honestly, don’t know why they are still going to use the Fisker name. Their best case scenario is that the consumer had never heard of them. If the consumer knows about the Fisker name, it’s such a liability.
Because it’s a familiar name and was once an established company (even tho not a very well one) most people remember the Fisker Karma, and not Fisker Automotive. I’m sure he is not going to repeat the same mistakes he did last time. Unlike other startup companies *Cough cough NIKOLA* it isn’t just vapourware.
FISKAR makes great axes and other hand tools.
Americans love an underdog. I don't agree that the name alone is a liability. How about a Fisker body on a Tesla Model S chassis?
Exactly, that’s how you know Henrik Fisker is no business man, didn’t learn anything from his failures.
Its not like it was an international disaster. You only knew of fisker bankrupcy if you were that much into the car industry or business. I think that he can come back with that name and it wouldnt be a problem, plus fisker is pretty catchy
I knew NOTHING about this company... but his cars were truly gorgeous.
You know he’s back and this time his cars are selling like crazy!!! Look it up Henry Fisker...
The V8/V12 Vantage is one of my favorite cars of all time, I had no idea Fisker designed it! The Z8 is also my favorite Z-Series BMW so I guess I was a fan of this guy all along and had no idea!
I also used to see two Fisker Karmas driving around where I used to live, one was silver and the other was dark red, they were stunning.
My suggestion next is either Pier 1 Imports, Jos. A Bank, and Lord and Taylor.
You’ve got it!
Jos. A bank would hit home In my neck of the woods
I’d like to see one on Lord & Taylor !
You're gonna like the way you look. I guarantee it.
@@RelaxAndSmokeMeth i remember that
It was such a beautiful car company with cool looking cars too. This is just sad to see.
Yes it is they should put the company in mexico and produce them there at lower cost many car companies produce alot of the automotive parts in mexico.
Someone in my area owns one. Very cool to see such a rare elegant machine....even tho its horrible in reliability
Henrik Fisker was hired as the original designer for the Tesla Model S, he quit and took the Tesla technology with him, the design he produced for Tesla was crap and Tesla had to fins a new Designer who designed the Model S.
Kharma is a fitting name
@@j.pgoodwin9020 lies
Fisker is going public and starting again
Great video as always, one of my favorite series in TH-cam. As a suggestion for a next episode maybe you could look into the bankruptcy of Varig
My friend used to have a Fisker Karma. It was the only one I've seen that didn't have any problems. My friend's Karma eventually got totaled and he got a Audi TT RS after that.
Informative and interesting as always Jake, thanks very much.
Thanks Kevin!
Thanks Jake for making these videos. I always enjoy them!
Thanks for watching!
Loved this!!!! Never knew about this company thanks for sharing
That shade thrown at FF was on point
Interesting episode. This makes me think of the old Tucker Car Company.
How is your comment 3 days old and this video was posted just over 20 minutes ago ?
@@ndirangugichuki6260 time travel obviously
Tucker had innovations, but his company failed because the other auto makers at the time wanted not to have the competition. Fisker shows how hard it is to build both a new car and a totally new dealer network for it.
Great vid as always. Had no idea the 1st Fisker was a hybrid, thought it was pure electric from the start.
Yeah that was the issue haha
Great video as always...always excited to see new episodes!
Thank you!
They built a Fisker dealership near my home here in Farmington MI. It never opened, and became a Toyota Dealership which recently moved to another city, leaving the building now abandoned.
(Soon to be) Bankrupt: Nikola
@Big Mike's Adam's Apple okay matey. I assume that you drive a Ford F-150 and spent 200 dollars on gas a week, right?
Nah I don't think so
@Big Mike's Adam's Apple And ALL SHALL Perish. Not even a single electric car left destroyed.
Are you comparing Fisker to Nikola Tesla? If so, I suggest you do your homework because, you’re way off!!
@@shaneb1313 ?
Looks like Fisker is poised for a come back with the Ocean Electric, hopefully they will make a great comeback.
Another awesome video Jake! Really enjoy the Bankrupt series! :D
Thanks! :)
I have worked in the automotive industry on or off for the last 20 years, but mostly I deal in international trade. Still, I have ended up in meetings and have learned some basics about the industry. Jake doesn't like the design and true that is a subjective quality, except studies have shown that more contours you can add the more appealing the car is. But adding contours comes at a price. Presses used to make the parts go up drastically and it is difficult to keep every part stamped out to be uniform. Also the presses have a shorter life than one that is doing a relatively flat press. I actually am really impressed with the design. I liked the glide on the door handle to open the car. I would have to do more on the research of the car itself to get more details. But Jake is right, the market is getting crowded. Google and Apple before had announced plans to enter the market but then abandoned them. But joining with Fisker could be a way to get into the market. They can't make a car from scratch especially at this point, but here is ripe apple (pun intended) waiting to be plucked. They are in financial trouble and just begging to be taken over.
Suggestion. White Star Line. Not bankrupted per say. But interesting story.
I owned a Karma and I didn't keep it more than a year. I was excited to see the emotion and was hoping it would go into production. I definitely like the emotion better than the ocean.
More videos on the automotive industry please! Loved it.
Always look forward to your videos
Thanks!
There was a fisker dealership in maplewood missouri. I remember just a few years back driving by it and seeing the brand for the first time. I knew nothing about them then and didnt know the full story till now. I think the design was very sleek but clearly thats where the good ended.
I would love to see you make a documentary called Chapter 11 where you go over several companies that all filed chapter 11 bankruptcy and how they all made similar mistakes that lead to their ultimate downfall
I first heard about Fisker from my work in automotive, and was delighted to see you explain why I hadn't heard about them before. Interestingly there's a Karma dealership just down the road from me, but since I live in Silicon Valley, that seems like they are chasing the market of wealthy tech people, which makes sense.
Saw one in person in Seattle. Staggeringly gorgeous. Delicate, yet brutal. Every line complemented the next. The glass paintwork was stunning.
If I had the money at the time, I'd have bought one.
I will say the Fisker Karma looks pretty cool in person. I saw one years ago at my local train station. It was impressive looking IRL. Curious to see where they go from here
I have a suggestion for a Bankrupt episode: MFI, a former furniture retail chain that closed down in 2008.
No one cares apart crappy flat packs from an even crappier company 😅
Hugh Jass it’s a suggestion, not a video
MFI isn't really interesting.
I was godsmacked by the grace and beauty of this car. Followed it around Glens Falls downtown balloon festival weekend 9/26/21.
That coupe-like side profile in Karma looks beautiful.
Can’t wait for the Nikola and Trevor Milton episode of bankruptcy
At least Fisker actually made a car
If Fisker was really smart, he would on the second run negotiate with Musk to work together on a premium luxury line. At this late in the stage competing against Tesla is a damn near no win situation.
I would like to see Tesla offering to sell a running and driving skateboard chassis to any manufacturer interested in designing their own body. Maybe they will some day.
Musk hates fisker.
A glaring omission of this video is that Fisker was hired by musk to design the model S. He worked for tesla for over a year and kept crancking out terrible designs so he was fired.
What did he do immidiately after being fired?
Ran and starting his own EV company. Turns out he had plenty of nice designs, he was just staying at tesla to gain knowledge in the field and create his own company.
Elon to Fisker, hold my bong.
Great job on this one Jake. Interesting watch!
I just seen a Fisker Karma just the other day on the road and was thinking when is the next design coming. Thanks for the informative video.
They’re rare now! Thanks for watching
The Fisker Latigo was up for auction for $105k. Seeing as they only made 2 of them it doesn't sound like that much money. It looked like a stylized BMW 5 series of the day, beautiful car.
Irony: me watching this episode and writing this comment over lunch, from the screen of my Model 3 today.
Exactly lol ...
woahh you can comment on a tesla? what a flex
Get a Taycan asap
Tesla had display touchscreens in their cars for YEARS. I never realized that until I saw the model S with THAT screen-
Also, that sounds like a hazard if you’re watching TH-cam while driving
Excellent job, Jake!
GREAT video! Well done!
Wasn’t mr fisker employed my Tesla to design the model S but fell out with them and that car he designed became his Karma?
Swear I heard that somewhere. Top gear or something maybe?
He was hired by Tesla for fixed amount of money to design the Tesla Roadster. He was given all the technology blueprints by Elon.
However the designs which he submitted suspiciously got worse and worse over time.
Eventually he left to everyone's surprise started his own electric car company. Where did he get the technology from? From Tesla of course.
@@kasparsc source please
That explains the bad karma
@@ImDelphox 2sec google
Video: uploaded 18 minutes ago
Comments: 3 days ago
Me: *explodes like a fisker karma*
K_aitoHayashi early access for patreon supporters
An incredibly entertaining series. Keep it up jake. Thank you!
Thank you!
Henrik Fisker reminds me a lot of John DeLorean. Both were great designers working for American car manufacturers (Fisker with Ford, Delorean with Chevrolet) who branched out and tried to start their own companies, only to be entirely out of business in 7 years.
I like the car! Extremely unique!
His new Fisker Oceans are doing great!!!!
FISKER TO THE MOON
Enjoyed as always!
I'm glad you agree about the Karma's weird design. There's something off about the rear arches and wheels, the door handle placement, and the diamond-shaped openings. It's crazy how Fisker was behind some of the most beautiful cars of the 2000s, and then produced the Karma when there was no one in the room to say "no". A differing opinion would have really been needed when discussing exhaust pipe placement.
I literally only remember hearing anything about Fisker through one episode of Top Gear. Clarkson ended up calling it Fister after the review... If I remember rightly James May called it a rip off of their own homemade electric car, the Hammerhead Eagle i Thrust (Geoff) and then I never heard anything about Fisker again. Up until this video of course.
When you want to start a car company nowadays, you start with nichee performance/enthusiast cars.
Nobody will buy a car from some new company, unless they do research quite often and you got exactly what you wanted.
Even tesla understood that. Their first car was a softer electric lotus Elise.
Which I can understand. A lotus is great on the track but often to uncomfortable for the street. The tesla brought a good alternative with a, at that time, quirky powerplant.
Like a more driveable version of a lotus Elise? It's FULL electric? For an enthusiast a great choice?
And meanwhile fisker brought out a car for business executive who will just buy another Mercedes/BMW/Audi anyway
@@notlNSIGHT true dat. Brands like Bugatti get sales because of their heritage, and Koenigsegg are new on the block and smashed a ton of records. Can't wait for the Jesko Absolut lol
Fisker just popped up outta nowhere, so it's way different.
My neighbor here in FL actually has a karma revero! Looks just like the karma. It’s nice
Really enjoy these videos.
👍
Well, Fisker is trying again, and I'm fully convinced his failures, were because EV was not as known.
I will invest into SPAQ and I'll laugh when he is successful. He designed Aston Martin DB9 and V8 vantage
Same let’s hope he learned from his first time.
Vw is backing them. Loaded up to the tits for October
If their failure was in fact provoked by EV’s not being as well known as today then why did Tesla succeeded in such a ridiculous way?
Fisker DOES NOT know how to make business or functional cars .
800 shares strong!
Hope you're doing well friend 🔥💪
Holy crap I didn't think you would do cars but yeah it was unfortunate for Fowler but at least there's now Karma Automotive.
Why? They bought the liquidated assets and picked up all the work where they left off. Thieves. To confuse it even further its split 3 ways... fisker still exists... karma named after the car model... and the lux automotive another company selling the same liquidated product.
The intro for this series is so good
I worked at a luxury car rental company and they had the Fisker Karma, I got a chance to ride it and people would take pictures of the car, it was an awesome car, it had speakers for mufflers, the interior was very Odd and uncomfortable, the exterior looked like a batmobile, I definitely felt like a rock star when I drove it.
I wouldn’t know what fisker was if it weren’t for childish gambino
eric No I mean childish gambino because when he made Sweatpants that was what he was going by eric
Come to think of it, I haven’t thought of this car brand in awhile. I didn’t know it went bankrupt.
Saleen is another car manufacturer that has a interesting story (and I think went bankrupt).
Basically they started by tuning fox body mustangs, and later started producing its own super cars (saleen s7) in the 2000s only to fade away over time
I was on the waiting list for an Aptera. The company folded, but has come back to life this year!