Photo: Fisker Automotive
In March 2013, Henrik Fisker took some time off from the tumultuous limelight of the car industry by resigning from his position inside Fisker Automotive. Since then, he's been designing the occasional bespoke body for interested companies, but now it appears he's considering building his own cars again.
Unlike other entrepreneurs of the automotive world, Henrik Fisker is a designer before anything else. He worked for BMW where he left behind the wonderful Z8 roadster and for Ford at the time when the company owned Aston Martin. There, he produced the design language that Aston Martin cars still use by drawing the DB9 and V8 Vantage.
He then decided to start his own company, calling it Fisker Coachbuild. Soon enough he teamed up with Quantum Technologies and Fisker Automotive was born. The first and only car to bear his name was the Fisker Karma, a luxury four-door hybrid coupe-styled car somewhat similar in shape to the Aston Martin Rapide. The car received mixed reviews and can not be counted as a true success.
Henrik Fisker's name is also linked with Tesla Motors and their most important model, the Tesla Model S. Fisker was involved in the initial design of the car, but later withdrawed and started his own business. This actually led to a lawsuit from Tesla accusing him of using their hybrid technology to build his own car.
But all this is in the past for the Danish designer, who seems to have his sights set on the future. He realizes that the car industry is at a turning point and in ten years time cars will be very different from what they are today due to all the new technology.
He was talking to USA Today during an event at the Pebble Beach Concours D’elegance when he said: "I'm looking into starting a new company. There's a whole new group of young people ready for the next thing."
You can't have it any more clear than that. The only question now is 'what exactly is the next thing'? Fisker seems to bet all his money on connected cars, which is another way of saying 'autonomous cars', really.
He then decided to start his own company, calling it Fisker Coachbuild. Soon enough he teamed up with Quantum Technologies and Fisker Automotive was born. The first and only car to bear his name was the Fisker Karma, a luxury four-door hybrid coupe-styled car somewhat similar in shape to the Aston Martin Rapide. The car received mixed reviews and can not be counted as a true success.
Henrik Fisker's name is also linked with Tesla Motors and their most important model, the Tesla Model S. Fisker was involved in the initial design of the car, but later withdrawed and started his own business. This actually led to a lawsuit from Tesla accusing him of using their hybrid technology to build his own car.
But all this is in the past for the Danish designer, who seems to have his sights set on the future. He realizes that the car industry is at a turning point and in ten years time cars will be very different from what they are today due to all the new technology.
He was talking to USA Today during an event at the Pebble Beach Concours D’elegance when he said: "I'm looking into starting a new company. There's a whole new group of young people ready for the next thing."
You can't have it any more clear than that. The only question now is 'what exactly is the next thing'? Fisker seems to bet all his money on connected cars, which is another way of saying 'autonomous cars', really.
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