Fisker Automotive Inc.
Company: Fisker Automotive Inc., Irvine, CA
Company Description: Fisker Automotive is a green American premium sports car company with a mission to create a range of beautiful environmentally friendly cars that make environmental sense without compromise.Our mission is to lead the automotive industry into the next- generation of automobiles with high-end design expertise and eco-friendly powertrain technology.
Nomination Category: Company / Organization Categories / Innovation Awards
Nomination Sub Category: Most Innovative Company of the Year - Up to 100 Employees
Nomination Title: Fisker Automotive Inc.
1. Tell the story about what this nominated company achieved since January 1 2009 (up to 500 words). Focus on specific accomplishments, and relate these accomplishments to past performance or industry norms. Be sure to mention obstacles overcome, innovations or discoveries made, and outcomes:
Fisker Automotive has established itself as a force in the automotive industry
by taking a new approach to automobile development and manufacturing, while
simultaneously creating the premium green car segment with the introduction of
the Fisker Karma plug-in hybrid electric car.
Fisker Automotive is the Most Innovative Company of the Year because:
• Fisker Automotive’s unique business model has enabled the small company
to develop and build cars in a fraction of the time and at a fraction of the
cost or traditional cars.
• Fisker Automotive has created the world’s first eco-friendly cars, which
offer consumers world-class power, style and performance with lower emissions
and fuel consumption than today’s best hybrids.
• Fisker Automotive employs advanced technology originally developed for
military applications. A fully-charged, 403hp Karma burns no fuel for the first
50 miles. Venture further and an efficient gasoline engine turns a generator
that powers the vehicle. Once the electric range has been exceeded, the car
operates as a normal hybrid with a total range of 300 miles and an achievable
annual average fuel economy of 100 mpg.
• Fisker Automotive has raised more than $250 million in private equity
and has secured more than 1,500 customer deposits for the Karma.
• The United States Department of Energy recently closed a deal with
Fisker Automotive for a loan of $528.7 million to develop two lines of plug-in
hybrid cars. These loans will help put more than 2000 American assembly workers
back on the job in an assembly plant previously shut down by General Motors.
• Fisker Automotive has assembled a team of forward-looking auto industry
veterans with more than 200 years of collective experience.
• Fisker Automotive incorporates eco-friendly materials into the Karma’s
design. For example, interior wood trim is sourced from non-living trees burned
in forest fires or found on lakebeds.
2. List hyperlinks to any online news stories, press releases, or other documents that support the claims made in the section above. IMPORTANT: Begin each link with http://, and enclose each link in square brackets; for example, [http://www.youraddress.com]:
• Fisker Automotive Press Releases:
http://karma.fiskerautomotive.com/news_items
• Fisker on the cover of Forbes magazine:
http://www.forbes.com/forbes/2009/0608/070-automakers-fisker-karmas-the-next-detroit.html
• Fisker in Car and Driver
http://www.caranddriver.com/features/09q3/henrik_fisker_the_man_behind_the_2010_fisker_karma-feature
• U.S. Department of Energy and Fisker finalize $528.7 million loan
http://www.energy.gov/news/8890.htm
3. Provide a brief (up to 100 words) biography about the leader of this nominated company:
In 20 years of auto design, Fisker Automotive co-founder and CEO Henrik Fisker
has left his thumbprint on some of the most highly regarded automobiles. His
creations range from the BMW Z8, Aston Martin DB9 and the Aston Martin V8
Vantage to the Fisker Tramonto and Fisker Latigo CS coachbuilt automobiles.
In 2005, Fisker launched Fisker Coachbuild, LLC with partner Bernhard Koehler,
where they revived the lost art of coachbuilding by combining beautiful design
with existing world-class engineering.
From 2001 to 2005, Fisker held prominent positions at Ford Motor Company, Aston
Martin, and BMW.