Valmet Automotive Dismantles Assembly Lines For Fisker Karma

Dec 30, 2014 10:00 AM EST | Matt Mercuro

Valmet Automotive has started dismantling its assembly facility in Uusikaupunki after production of the Fisker Karma hybrid sedan was suspended back in July 2012.

The production facility was left mainly untouched in hopes that Fisker would be revived and production of the Karma could begin again. Now that the company has started dismantling its facility, all hopes of new Fisker products have seemingly stalled, according to CarScoops.com.

In May, the billionaire behind China's Wanxiang, which purchased Fisker earlier this year, said that he will "burn as much cash as it takes" in order to make Fisker a success.

"I'll put every cent that Wanxiang earns into making electric vehicles. I'll burn as much cash as it takes to succeed, or until Wanxiang goes bust," Lu Guanqiu, chairman of Wanxiang, according to a Bloomberg report.

Wanxiang is looking to relaunch production of the Fisker Karma to release a revised model which will be extremely similar to the 2012 model as part of this commitment.

Originally, the Chinese company was looking to restart production in February 2015. It seems like a safe bet that Wanxiang will miss that anticipated deadline.

Besides relaunching the Fisker Karma, Wanxiang previously announced that it has plans to introduce a second model to join the Karma no later than 2017.  Though Guanqiu hasn't provided any specific details about what the vehicle will be, there is a good chance it will utilize the same plug-in hybrid powertrain as the Fisker Karma. Time will tell if the company achieves that goal.

Valmet Automotive's Uusikaupunki plant currently assembles Mercedes-Benz A-Class compact cars for the time being.

Fisker declared bankruptcy in 2013. Its assets were then purchased by Wanxiang during an auction. The company also owns a former General Motors plant in Delaware, and its utilization was one of the main factors in Wanxiang's successful bid. 

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