New York motor show 2012: Fisker Atlantic

This is the Fisker Atlantic luxury saloon, which will spearhead the company’s ambition to produce a four-door, £40,000 electric rival to the BMW 5-series. It has been revealed today at the New York motor show.

The car, known as Project Nina during most of its development, is angled as a model with more widespread appeal than Fisker’s first offering, the £80,000 Karma.

Company chief Henrik Fisker said that lessons learned from the production of the Karma had been incorporated into the new car’s development. “We launched Karma first to define what the brand was all about,” he said. “Obviously, Atlantic will sell in greater volumes, but we wanted to be known as a premium maker before introducing something cheaper.

“There’s nothing out there like Atlantic. Who says that you can’t have beauty in volume segments?”

Fisker is promising that the Atlantic’s interior will be “really special”. Three differently themed interior trim levels will be offered, from a sports-styled layout to a luxurious one aimed at female buyers.

A convertible version of the Atlantic is planned, and it is possible that the model could spawn a range of different body styles in the future. The car is also likely to be offered in right-hand drive.

The Atlantic uses a BMW engine as its range extender. It is said to be more refined than the GM-based engine in the Karma and, therefore, more in keeping with Fisker’s luxury brief.

The Atlantic is based on a new platform and is expected to go into production at Fisker’s Delaware plant in the autumn of 2013. This schedule could be pushed back, however, following Fisker’s recent funding dispute with the US Department of Energy.

The Atlantic is likely to go on sale before the Surf, which is the shooting brake variant of the Karma.

Fisker sources have also indicated that the Sunset — a convertible Karma concept unveiled in 2009 - is now unlikely to be produced.

Mark Tisshaw/Matt Burt