During the development phase of the Fisker Karma, the automaker established a temporary technical center in Pontiac, Michigan, in order to be closer to automotive suppliers and experienced engineers.
In the spring of 2010, as the Karma neared completion, Fisker closed its Pontiac technology center, opting to retain capital to launch the car.
Now, about two and a half years later, Fisker is once again shopping for real estate in the Midwest.
This time, Fisker plans to open a permanent technical center, initially tasked with completing the design of the Fisker Atlantic sedan.
The electric automaker, with $100 million in new equity funding, has ambitious plans to open the new technology center next spring. This may not be possible given the impending winter and the current lack of a featured location.
In fact, Fisker's press release says only that the brand is establishing a center in the Midwest, with a possible focus on southeast Michigan.
As for why, Fisker CEO Tony Posawatz sums it up by saying, “We will bring our own engineering footprint closer to our supplier base and the expertise and professional workforce that have driven the American automotive industry. for more than a century.”
Michigan, assuming that's the site ultimately chosen, is also much closer to Fisker's Delaware manufacturing facility than its California headquarters, not that that really matters in an age of cheap and plentiful flights and video conferencing.
2012 Fisker Karma
Will Fisker be able to justify the expense of a Midwest technology center in the long run? That remains to be seen, as Fisker isn't the only small-volume manufacturer closing a Michigan facility.
In January 2007, Tesla opened an R&D center in Rochester Hills, Michigan, in order to be closer to industry suppliers. By October 2008, Tesla announced that it was closing the facility as a cost-cutting measure.
Which raises a serious question for Fisker: will the new Midwest technology center help speed up design and production of the Fisker Atlantic, or will it prove to be just another costly distraction?
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