The world of electric cars, or at least electric cars that are more than half-assed jokes, golf carts with pretensions and pipe dreams of the well meaning, just got a lot more interesting. For those of you that don’t follow this stuff, there’s an electric car company out there called Fisker Automotive. To a certain extent, they are to Tesla what Chevy was to Ford 100 years ago. They are serious, well funded, and aim to have the car you see pictured here, up and running as a viable, every day car for sale to the public. And to show you just how serious they are, Fisker just hired away Maserati’s chief sales and marketing “guy”.

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The Detroit auto show has come and gone, and has left the automotive industry with a little more to chew over. As a final wrap-up to quite possibly the most important auto show in America, we chose 10 cars that summed up the best of the show. We chose based on significance and looks, which is why you will see Honda’s Insight on the same list as the Fisker Karma. After much deliberating, here are the 10 we think are the best.

10) Volkwagen BlueSport Concept

Starting at the No. 10 spot, the BlueSport made this list because it is an honest effort to make a sporty car by a company whose most engaging vehicle to date is the Golf GT1 (no, the Bugatti Veyron does not count). It’s not the sexiest roadster available, as the Saturn Sky debatably holds that spot (key word: debatably. Check out the comments at the link above, and add your own opinion). While not terribly exciting to the eyes, it does feature that solid, reliable look that has come to define VW’s “German Engineering”. 57 miles to each gallon of diesel just adds to the charm.

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Now who says hybrids have to be boring?

The hybrid in question, the production version of the Fisker Karma, was revealed in Detroit a few days ago, and man, we like it. A lot.

Let’s forget about the engine, mileage, and similar rubbish and just focus on the car. Observe that wide stance, those sculpted fenders. Drink in the flowing lines, the 22 inch wheels, the oooh-ness of it all. Is that not the sexiest thing you have ever seen? Is that not gorgeous? Like, dare we say it, Aston Martin gorgeous? Or maybe even, and we can’t believe we’re saying this, better looking than an Aston Martin (after all, Henrik Fisker, CEO of Fisker Automotive, designed the DB9)? This article is becoming rather difficult to write because my jaw keeps hitting the keys. It’s just an impossibly pretty car.

Says Big Boss Man Henrik Fisker himself “Extreme proportions, beautiful sculpture and earth-friendly materials are key elements that set the Karma apart”. He also states that their “hope is that the Fisker Karma will create a new segment of eco-friendly transportation and will become the most desirable plug-in hybrid sports sedan available”. Continue Reading…

I certainly wouldn’t call this a most original design, but it sure is beautiful. Henrik Fiskers newest design called the Artega GT features design notes from a few different cars I can think of off the top of my head. Porsche, Lotus Elise, Ferrari 360/F430, Tesla, and possibly more. But apparently there isn’t a better batch of cars to combine designs. Take a look at this beauty:

Weighing in at about 2425 lbs, the Fisker-designed Artega GT runs from 0-62 mph in under 5 seconds with help from a 3.6 liter V6 pushing out a decent 300 horsepower. It’s top speed clocks in at over 270 km/h (or about 160 mph) and is controlled by a six-speed direct-shift gearbox.

More info and a gallery after the jump… Continue Reading…