Photo: VFL Automotive
With the 2016 Detroit Auto Show almost ready to start its engines, Bob Lutz and Henrik Fisker are announcing a new carmaker named VLF Automotive. And if you're looking at their first car (pictured above) and wondering where you saw it before, the answers are multiple.
Basically, all the bits and pieces of the VFL Automotive puzzle are a remix. The body seen here is a slightly retouched Fisker Karma, the engine comes from a Corvette, while the company is a new incarnation of the VL Automotive venture Lutz started back in 2012 - the former GM Vice Chairman built both companies with former Boeing executive Gilbert Villareal.
As for the vehicle seen here, not only have you met its body in Karma guise, but you've also seen it as the Destino at the 2013 Detroit Auto Show.
Meanwhile, the now-transformed VL Automotive tried joining forces with Saleen to conquer the Chinese market, but we haven't heard any significant news on that topic.
Returning to VFL Automotive and the refreshed Destino, the poor EV package of the Karma has been left behind. The three shareholders mentioned above are betting on a proven package this time, albeit one from a generation ago.
We're talking about the Corvette ZR-1's supercharged 6.2-liter V8, which, as you know, churns out 638 hp and 604 lb-ft of torque.
The blown motor takes the 4,300 lb sedan from 0 to 60 mph in 3.9 seconds. While this is inferior to the 0 to 60 performance of the Tesla Model S (we had to mention the EV given the old rivalry between Fisker and Musk), the top speed of the Destino is in another league compared to that of the Model S, sitting at around 200 mph. Then again, the same can be said about the price, with the Destino costing $229,000.
The sports sedan will be built in Auburn Hills, Michigan, with production set to kick off later this year.
The Destino, along with Henrik Fisker's Force 1, also going under the VFL Automotive umbrella, will greet us on the Detroit floor next week.
“I’m honored to become a partner in this automotive ‘Dream Team.’ With the management and skills of Bob Lutz, the manufacturing expertise of Gilbert Villarreal and my design innovation, we’re poised to launch an extraordinary company, as we seek to change the future of the American auto industry,” Fisker said.
While we respect his design brilliance, we can't help but wonder how exactly the new development will change the US car industry.
As for the vehicle seen here, not only have you met its body in Karma guise, but you've also seen it as the Destino at the 2013 Detroit Auto Show.
Meanwhile, the now-transformed VL Automotive tried joining forces with Saleen to conquer the Chinese market, but we haven't heard any significant news on that topic.
Returning to VFL Automotive and the refreshed Destino, the poor EV package of the Karma has been left behind. The three shareholders mentioned above are betting on a proven package this time, albeit one from a generation ago.
We're talking about the Corvette ZR-1's supercharged 6.2-liter V8, which, as you know, churns out 638 hp and 604 lb-ft of torque.
The blown motor takes the 4,300 lb sedan from 0 to 60 mph in 3.9 seconds. While this is inferior to the 0 to 60 performance of the Tesla Model S (we had to mention the EV given the old rivalry between Fisker and Musk), the top speed of the Destino is in another league compared to that of the Model S, sitting at around 200 mph. Then again, the same can be said about the price, with the Destino costing $229,000.
The sports sedan will be built in Auburn Hills, Michigan, with production set to kick off later this year.
The Destino, along with Henrik Fisker's Force 1, also going under the VFL Automotive umbrella, will greet us on the Detroit floor next week.
“I’m honored to become a partner in this automotive ‘Dream Team.’ With the management and skills of Bob Lutz, the manufacturing expertise of Gilbert Villarreal and my design innovation, we’re poised to launch an extraordinary company, as we seek to change the future of the American auto industry,” Fisker said.
While we respect his design brilliance, we can't help but wonder how exactly the new development will change the US car industry.
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