The world's press raised a cynical eyebrow when Fisker Automotive's Karma concept was revealed at the Detroit Auto Show in 2008.
It wasn't that the car lacked innovation - in fact, just the opposite - or that it wasn't a beautiful design - it's penned by Henrik Fisker, the same man that authored the Aston Martin Vantage and BMW Z8 sports cars.
No, it was met with cynicism because few people believed it was possible to produce a luxurious and technologically advanced hybrid electric sports car with supermodel good-looks and sports car performance for the sub-US$100,000 (Dh367,000) sticker price that the company had set as its targevt.
Worse, Fisker and business partner Bernhard Koehler had launched Fisker Automotive out of the ashes of Fisker Coachbuild, a company that built custom Fisker Tramanto and Latigo models from the underpinnings of Mercedes-Benz SL and BMW 6 Series cars. It didn't look good.
Add this to the fact that, in recent decades, no one - and certainly not a car designer - has successfully started their own volume production car company building their own cars under a new automotive brand that carries their family name.
But all of that matters not right now. Because, three years after the concept, I'm here in Milan, behind the wheel of one of the first production models - number three, I believe.
That this car is third off the production line - and not a prototype - is significant because it demonstrates that the cars are being sold. Fisker Automotive says 3,000 orders have been taken already and that its target is to build 300 cars per week by year-end.
Against great odds, Fisker Automotive has succeeded in building one of the most intriguing and groundbreaking cars of recent times. Launching a car company from scratch is even more difficult in that it is expensive; fantastically expensive. But since the demise of Fisker Coachbuild, Fisker and Koehler managed to raise more than US$1 billion in investment for Fisker Automotive, half from the US government and the rest from investors that include the Qatar Investment Authority. The Karma is now in production at Valmet Automotive in Finland; the same facility that builds Porsche's Boxster and Cayman models.
The world's most bankable movie star and eco-activist, Leonardo DiCaprio, has one. He bought the first production Fisker Karma plug-in hybrid sports car ever built. What's more, he paid his own, hard-earned money for it; DiCaprio's car is no celebrity freebie.
Fisker calls the Karma "the world's first luxury plug-in hybrid". It is certainly that. Eyebrows are still being raised. Particularly in Munich and Stuttgart.
"The Karma looks like a four-door supercar," explains Fisker, the chief executive of Fisker Automotive. "But when you think about how a lot of these types of car are used today - cars like the Porsche Panamera or the Mercedes CLS - they're used as a daily commuter by many people. That's the group of people we are targeting with this car.
"A lot of people today are wondering whether they really need a powerful V8 engine, when they are sitting in traffic," says Fisker. "We've found that we're using the gasoline engine even less than we thought we would in this car.
"We believe that 95 per cent of the time the car will be driven in electric mode only and the gasoline engine will only be used as an emergency range extender."
The car certainly looks the part. With its long bonnet, short rear deck, unusually wide stance and low roofline, as well as athletic shoulders and pronounced wheel arches, the overall effect is a car that is long, lithe, low, muscular, yet very elegant. These are ideal traits for a sports car and Fisker has worked hard to disguise the car's unusually long length, which - at almost five metres - is dictated by the lithium-ion battery pack spine that runs the length of the car.
Then there are those massive 22-inch Fisker Circuit Blade alloy wheels upon which the car sits. No car has ever gone into production with 22-inch wheels. They are even larger than the wheels on the original Karma concept car. Another first then.
Inside, the Karma knocks other luxury brands sideways. Leather, wood and Alcantara suede combine with the most advanced touch-screen in-car control system I've seen. The interior has almost no switches at all. Instead, all of the main functions - including the audio, climate control and navigation system - are accessed by the touch-screen display. Though it takes a little bit of getting used to, the effect of eliminating so many switches is to maximise the elegant nature of the interior while also reminding Karma owners that they are driving a very modern motor car.
The Karma is very comfortable, the driving position is good and the car feels special. The combination of new materials, up-to-the-minute tech, futuristic controls and highly individual and contemporary styling adds up to a cabin that is utterly unique.
So is it all style over substance? Not a bit. On the road, around the streets of Milan, the car is excellent. You have the option to drive the car in electric-only stealth mode or combustion engine-boosted sport mode. In stealth mode, the car can travel using only battery power for up to 80km. This is where the Karma is at its best, accelerating in stealth mode is smooth - as there are no gears - and exhilarating.
Driving in near silence, the only noise is a sound effect broadcast through rear bumper speakers to warn pedestrians of the car's arrival. The speakers, which mimic chrome exhaust pipes, emit a sound that Fisker Automotive calls "Tron". It's a strange, synthesised noise, like an imagined alien spacecraft, but it's agreeable and enhances the driving experience. Combine the lack of engine noise with little road and wind noise and driving the Karma is about as stress-free as driving can get. It's almost soothing.
For a car that is so long, so wide and heavy (those batteries), the Karma handles surprisingly well. Though the car doesn't exactly feel agile, it certainly doesn't feel like a 2.5-tonne car either. Fisker's engineers have worked hard to keep the weight down by using an aluminium space-frame chassis and aluminium or composite body panels. You could say the Karma carries its weight well and feels very stable on the road.
By switching into sport mode - via a paddle behind the steering wheel - the Karma's turbocharged, 2.0L four-cylinder petrol engine kicks in to generate electricity for the batteries that power the car's two drive motors. This mode offers quicker acceleration and up to 400 additional kilometres of vehicle range.
In stealth mode, the Karma can accelerate from zero to 96kph in 7.9 seconds, a figure that drops to just 5.9 seconds in the less satisfying sport mode. The car has a top speed of 200kph and 2.4L/100km (combined) with CO2 emissions of 83g/km are possible. But if you use the car for commuting under electric power only, then emissions are effectively zero, with just the price of electricity to pay. Charge time is five-and-a-half hours.
However, there is a compromise. You need to adapt the manner in which you drive to get the best out of the Karma. This is because, in sport mode and under heavy acceleration, the petrol engine, which cuts in to boost the batteries, makes quite a disagreeable noise; it sounds like a loud leaf blower or lawnmower engine. The noise shatters the otherwise peaceful experience of driving the car, leaving you reconsidering whether you need to drive fast at all.
"Because you switch from total silence to the sound of the engine, you notice it more," explains Fisker. "Then it's almost like you don't want it on because driving in silence is so great. But once you're out on the freeway at 80mph the engine sound is stable in the background. Cruising at the same [continuous] speed, it's just like any other car .
"And you know, 100 years ago, when people put a gasoline engine on a horse carriage, people thought that was pretty peculiar too. I don't think they stood around and clapped. But people got used to it."
We need to get used to the whole concept of electric and hybrid cars, because fossil fuels won't be around forever. And the Karma represents a huge leap forward in making the environmentally friendly car exciting. It's beautiful in its appearance but also in the way it's built. Going green just became desirable - it's what the planet's been waiting for.
Aston martin DBX specs
Engine: 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8
Transmission: nine-speed automatic
Power: 542bhp
Torque: 700Nm
Top speed: 291kph
Price: Dh848,000
On sale: Q2, 2020
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
Tailors and retailers miss out on back-to-school rush
Tailors and retailers across the city said it was an ominous start to what is usually a busy season for sales.
With many parents opting to continue home learning for their children, the usual rush to buy school uniforms was muted this year.
“So far we have taken about 70 to 80 orders for items like shirts and trousers,” said Vikram Attrai, manager at Stallion Bespoke Tailors in Dubai.
“Last year in the same period we had about 200 orders and lots of demand.
“We custom fit uniform pieces and use materials such as cotton, wool and cashmere.
“Depending on size, a white shirt with logo is priced at about Dh100 to Dh150 and shorts, trousers, skirts and dresses cost between Dh150 to Dh250 a piece.”
A spokesman for Threads, a uniform shop based in Times Square Centre Dubai, said customer footfall had slowed down dramatically over the past few months.
“Now parents have the option to keep children doing online learning they don’t need uniforms so it has quietened down.”
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDate%20started%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202020%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Khaldoon%20Bushnaq%20and%20Tariq%20Seksek%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Abu%20Dhabi%20Global%20Market%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20HealthTech%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20staff%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20100%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%20to%20date%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%2415%20million%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Apple%20Mac%20through%20the%20years
%3Cp%3E1984%20-%20Apple%20unveiled%20the%20Macintosh%20on%20January%2024%3Cbr%3E1985%20-%20Steve%20Jobs%20departed%20from%20Apple%20and%20established%20NeXT%3Cbr%3E1986%20-%20Apple%20introduced%20the%20Macintosh%20Plus%2C%20featuring%20enhanced%20memory%3Cbr%3E1987%20-%20Apple%20launched%20the%20Macintosh%20II%2C%20equipped%20with%20colour%20capabilities%3Cbr%3E1989%20-%20The%20widely%20acclaimed%20Macintosh%20SE%2F30%20made%20its%20debut%3Cbr%3E1994%20-%20Apple%20presented%20the%20Power%20Macintosh%3Cbr%3E1996%20-%20The%20Macintosh%20System%20Software%20OS%20underwent%20a%20rebranding%20as%20Mac%20OS%3Cbr%3E2001%20-%20Apple%20introduced%20Mac%20OS%20X%2C%20marrying%20Unix%20stability%20with%20a%20user-friendly%20interface%3Cbr%3E2006%20-%20Apple%20adopted%20Intel%20processors%20in%20MacBook%20Pro%20laptops%3Cbr%3E2008%20-%20Apple%20introduced%20the%20MacBook%20Air%2C%20a%20lightweight%20laptop%3Cbr%3E2012%20-%20Apple%20launched%20the%20MacBook%20Pro%20with%20a%20retina%20display%3Cbr%3E2016%20-%20The%20Mac%20operating%20system%20underwent%20rebranding%20as%20macOS%3Cbr%3E2020%20-%20Apple%20introduced%20the%20M1%20chip%20for%20Macs%2C%20combining%20high%20performance%20and%20energy%20efficiency%3Cbr%3E2022%20-%20The%20M2%20chip%20was%20announced%3Cbr%3E2023%20-The%20M3%20line-up%20of%20chip%20was%20announced%20to%20improve%20performance%20and%20add%20new%20capabilities%20for%20Mac.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Electoral College Victory
Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate.
Popular Vote Tally
The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.
WISH
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirectors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Chris%20Buck%2C%20Fawn%20Veerasunthorn%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Ariana%20DeBose%2C%20Chris%20Pine%2C%20Alan%20Tudyk%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%203.5%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Stage results
1. Julian Alaphilippe (FRA) Deceuninck-QuickStep 4:39:05
2. Michael Matthews (AUS) Team BikeExchange 0:00:08
3. Primoz Roglic (SLV) Jumbo-Visma same time
4. Jack Haig (AUS) Bahrain Victorious s.t
5. Wilco Kelderman (NED) Bora-Hansgrohe s.t
6. Tadej Pogacar (SLV) UAE Team Emirates s.t
7. David Gaudu (FRA) Groupama-FDJ s.t
8. Sergio Higuita Garcia (COL) EF Education-Nippo s.t
9. Bauke Mollema (NED) Trek-Segafredo s.t
10. Geraint Thomas (GBR) Ineos Grenadiers s.t
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Results
%3Cp%3E%0D%3Cstrong%3EElite%20men%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3E1.%20Amare%20Hailemichael%20Samson%20(ERI)%202%3A07%3A10%0D%3Cbr%3E2.%20Leornard%20Barsoton%20(KEN)%202%3A09%3A37%0D%3Cbr%3E3.%20Ilham%20Ozbilan%20(TUR)%202%3A10%3A16%0D%3Cbr%3E4.%20Gideon%20Chepkonga%20(KEN)%202%3A11%3A17%0D%3Cbr%3E5.%20Isaac%20Timoi%20(KEN)%202%3A11%3A34%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EElite%20women%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3E1.%20Brigid%20Kosgei%20(KEN)%202%3A19%3A15%0D%3Cbr%3E2.%20Hawi%20Feysa%20Gejia%20(ETH)%202%3A24%3A03%0D%3Cbr%3E3.%20Sintayehu%20Dessi%20(ETH)%202%3A25%3A36%0D%3Cbr%3E4.%20Aurelia%20Kiptui%20(KEN)%202%3A28%3A59%0D%3Cbr%3E5.%20Emily%20Kipchumba%20(KEN)%202%3A29%3A52%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Lewis Hamilton in 2018
Australia 2nd; Bahrain 3rd; China 4th; Azerbaijan 1st; Spain 1st; Monaco 3rd; Canada 5th; France 1st; Austria DNF; Britain 2nd; Germany 1st; Hungary 1st; Belgium 2nd; Italy 1st; Singapore 1st; Russia 1st; Japan 1st; United States 3rd; Mexico 4th
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Results
1. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) 1hr 32mins 03.897sec
2. Max Verstappen (Red Bull-Honda) at 0.745s
3. Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes) 37.383s
4. Lando Norris (McLaren) 46.466s
5.Sergio Perez (Red Bull-Honda) 52.047s
6. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) 59.090s
7. Daniel Ricciardo (McLaren) 1:06.004
8. Carlos Sainz Jr (Ferrari) 1:07.100
9. Yuki Tsunoda (AlphaTauri-Honda) 1:25.692
10. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin-Mercedes) 1:26.713,
Kill%20Bill%20Volume%201
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3A%20Quentin%20Tarantino%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3A%20Uma%20Thurman%2C%20David%20Carradine%20and%20Michael%20Madsen%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3A%204.5%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
MATCH INFO
World Cup qualifier
Thailand 2 (Dangda 26', Panya 51')
UAE 1 (Mabkhout 45 2')
The Indoor Cricket World Cup
When: September 16-23
Where: Insportz, Dubai
Indoor cricket World Cup:
Insportz, Dubai, September 16-23
UAE fixtures:
Men
Saturday, September 16 – 1.45pm, v New Zealand
Sunday, September 17 – 10.30am, v Australia; 3.45pm, v South Africa
Monday, September 18 – 2pm, v England; 7.15pm, v India
Tuesday, September 19 – 12.15pm, v Singapore; 5.30pm, v Sri Lanka
Thursday, September 21 – 2pm v Malaysia
Friday, September 22 – 3.30pm, semi-final
Saturday, September 23 – 3pm, grand final
Women
Saturday, September 16 – 5.15pm, v Australia
Sunday, September 17 – 2pm, v South Africa; 7.15pm, v New Zealand
Monday, September 18 – 5.30pm, v England
Tuesday, September 19 – 10.30am, v New Zealand; 3.45pm, v South Africa
Thursday, September 21 – 12.15pm, v Australia
Friday, September 22 – 1.30pm, semi-final
Saturday, September 23 – 1pm, grand final
MATCH INFO
World Cup qualifier
Thailand 2 (Dangda 26', Panya 51')
UAE 1 (Mabkhout 45 2')
How to avoid crypto fraud
- Use unique usernames and passwords while enabling multi-factor authentication.
- Use an offline private key, a physical device that requires manual activation, whenever you access your wallet.
- Avoid suspicious social media ads promoting fraudulent schemes.
- Only invest in crypto projects that you fully understand.
- Critically assess whether a project’s promises or returns seem too good to be true.
- Only use reputable platforms that have a track record of strong regulatory compliance.
- Store funds in hardware wallets as opposed to online exchanges.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The biog:
From: Wimbledon, London, UK
Education: Medical doctor
Hobbies: Travelling, meeting new people and cultures
Favourite animals: All of them