I'm a Fisker superfan but canceled my car reservation – I put $5,000 down yet got no timeframe on delivery after a year | 9Q99B68 | 2024-04-25 12:08:01
FISKER has attracted a niche but fervent community of car enthusiasts who are drawn to the brand's boundary-pushing, eco-conscious designs.
The U.S. Sun spoke to one of the brand's followers, who remains a fan of the startup EV producer despite financial hardships and blistering headlines.
The enthusiast, Marty Bielecki, who runs an Instagram fan account for the company (@FiskerWhispers), told The U.S. Sun he first fell in love with another car company, also named Fisker.
In the 2010s, Bielecki encountered a Fisker Karma, a hybrid sedan conceived by Henrik Fisker, a renowned figure in car design.
The design chief was the mastermind of iconic cars like the Aston Martin DB9 driven by James Bond.
The sleek sedan sporting the innovator's last name was a fan-favorite for car enthusiasts, raising over $1 billion from private investors, including Leonardo DiCaprio.
"I was like, wow, this is a beautiful car," Bielecki said about his first time seeing the vehicle.
But the company declared bankruptcy in 2013 after it failed to produce the cars at scale.
A Chinese brand, Wanxiang, purchased the car design for under $150 million. The company still produces the hybrid sedan under the brand name Karma.
The stunning design continued to captivate an audience of enthusiasts, including Bielecki.
"I have a car – I was planning to make a switch to an EV," he said – he currently drives a paid-off BMW convertible.
"I decided to follow the company, follow the industry, invest in the company, and order a car. I actually ordered two."
<!-- End of Brightcove Player --> Bielecki was again drawn in by Henrik Fisker's 2020 SUV – this time under the brand Fisker Inc. – because of its award-winning design.
The new vehicle, called the Ocean, featured "California Mode."
With the press of a button, drivers could open every window in the car, except for the windshield.
The mode included windows that were typically stagnant in every other production car, like the rear window and C-pillar windows.
"I would probably be using that regularly because I drive with the top down," Bielecki, a Florida native, said.
Bielecki ran to put down $5,000 in July 2022 in the hopes of buying an Ocean.
<p class="article__content--intro"> Pros and cons of EVs vs gasoline-powered vehicles </p> </div> </div> By September 2023, he started hearing that early depositors were receiving their cars.
But months passed and he claims he never received a direct answer about his car's whereabouts.
He withdrew the reservation in late 2023 after having to care for his family.
"It wasn't a souring on the brand," he said.
However, he admits the time since he pulled the reservation has been a rollercoaster.
Fisker has been at the center of attention-grabbing headlines for months.
Popular car reviewing YouTuber, Marques Brownlee, called the vehicle "the worst car" he has ever reviewed in a viral video. Fisker said the review was done before a major update that fixed several flaws Brownlee pointed out.
The review inspired a trove of reporting into the company, including reports that alleged there were millions in lost customer payments and ten-thousand-dollar price cuts.
Now, the company is warning that without a significant financial change, it will go bankrupt.
"There is substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern," the company reported in a recent SEC filing.
"If we do not raise capital in the near term or receive a forbearance agreement and/or waivers from our debt holders (for relief from current defaults), we will be unable to satisfy our debt service obligations and expect to seek protection under applicable bankruptcy laws."
The U.S. Sun contacted Fisker for comment in this story.
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