Electric vehicle startup Fisker (FSR) seemed to have gotten it right when it released its leading product — the sleek Ocean SUV, touting that the way they make their cars will set themselves up for success.However, quality issues, a scathing review by a notable tech authority, and looming bankruptcy have cast a shadow on the upstart, who, in desperation have cut prices of its leading product by tens of thousands of dollars. In a shocking revelation by InsideEVs, the company overlooked some vital precautions, including preparing for an inevitability that affects owners of all cars; no matter how "perfectly built" they are. Related: Car colors have gotten duller, more 'grayscale' over past 20 years, study says
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Several former Fisker employees who spoke to the electric vehicle-centric outlet claimed that the automaker made some very questionable decisions when it came to basic logistics. The former Fiskerites centered on the fact that the company never really had a plan to provide or stockpile spare parts for repairing Ocean vehicles, noting that the figureheads of the firm insisted on the vehicle being "perfect" coming out the factory; leading to some sketchy methods to provide parts when requested. “No plan was ever made for service parts, no matter how much we asked,” one former employee told InsideEVs. “By September, things were breaking and we had nothing to fix [them] with.”
2023 Fisker OceanFisker
To build the Ocean, Fisker enlisted the help of Magna Steyr, a contract manufacturer who has previously worked on vehicles from notable automakers such as Aston Martin with its Rapide sedan and Mercedes with its G-Class (G-Wagon) SUV. By incorporating the help of Magna, Fisker would be hands-off when it came to production, insisting that the contract manufacturer would make a high-quality product that would rarely need spare parts for repairs.However, this sort of practice is very unorthodox, according to AlixPartners Automotive and industrial co-leader Dan Hearsch. He told InsideEVs that automakers typically order more parts than they need for a production line from suppliers — algorithmically predicting which specific parts would fail and often be replaced, as well as the inevitable possibility that some of its owners will crash their precious creations. More Business of EVs:New study suggests EVs are supercharging an impending environmental crisisGM President has bold plans for an iconic sports car's EV resurrectionFord CEO says this iconic model will "never" be an EVRelated: Taking the Super out of charging: Why Tesla's Supercharging and other "fast-charging" solutions are critical for a seamless electric future.Cannibalized cars, parts in suitcases:
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Fisker did not do that, which led to some very sketchy ways for the company to fulfill orders of replacement parts. According to former Fisker employees, replacement components would often be scavenged off of cars that were intent on being sold to fulfill work orders. One employee who worked at the dock unloading Ocean SUVs told the publication that he and his coworkers would "set aside one SUV of each color to use for parts like glass roofs, door handles, body panels and window regulators." Multiple employees also recalled that to expedite shipping, Ocean parts were often flown from the Magna Styer factory in Austria to the United States, with employees using hand carry luggage to transport much needed parts. One former employee recalled that "a suitcase full of A/C vents" arrived using this method. Additionally, Fisker did not initially have a plan to service vehicles, relying on a partnership with Bridgestone to service Oceans at its retail locations. However, the automaker shifted from a direct-sales model to a traditional dealership model in January. In a statement to InsideEVs, a Fisker spokesperson has denied many of the claims from former employees, claiming that its service department planned for and established a parts inventory of "10 years of parts." They also denied the claims of building a "perfect car" by Fisker leadership.Fisker, which currently trades on OTC markets under the ticker FSRN, has dropped 5.85% on June 4, closing at $0.05 per share. Related: Veteran fund manager picks favorite stocks for 2024
