Fisker Latigo CS - History

History

The Fisker Latigo and Tramonto were intended to bring back the lost art of custom coachbuilding. The intent was to allow high-end luxury customers to get the greatest exclusivity by both limiting production and by offering many customizable options. There may have been many reasons for slow sales in 2006-2007, but one reason was clear: steadily rising oil prices that were under $30 a barrel in 2004 but were headed toward $80 per barrel and higher in 2007. According to Henrik Fisker, many high-end customers were now expressing that their desire for luxury and performance was now accompanied by a desire for greater efficiency and for a "green" image. It was this realization, and a fateful meeting with Alan Niedzwieki of Quantum Fuel Systems, that led Henrik Fisker and Barnard Koehler to start a JV called Fisker Automotive, whereby Fisker Coachbuild would provide design and Quantum would provide the Hybrid-EV technology to create a new range-extended Electric Vehicle, which would ultimately be named the Karma. Fisker Coachbuild continues to provide design services for automotive and other applications. As Fisker Coachbuild turned its attention to the new EV market, the company stopped further marketing of the Latigo. The only two Latigos ever built were car #000, the prototype based on the BMW 645i, and the only customer car ever delivered: car #001 based on a BMW M6, discussed further below.