EMPLOYMENT ISSUE: Fisker to Consolidate Operations in California; Will Hire New Staff

February 5, 2010

Irvine – A luxury plug-in hybrid car manufacturer is planning to consolidate its operations from Michigan into its Irvine headquarters.

Fisker Automotive, founded by Henrik Fisker, announced the move in anticipation of its coming plug-in hybrid electric vehicles.

The company will begin selling its Karma hybrid plug-in sports car this year and plans to launch a new line of next generation plug-in cars dubbed NINA by 2012.

According to a statement released by Fisker “having the entire team in California ensures greater efficiency and speeds up development of those cars by 2013.”

Russell Datz, the company’s spokesman, said that Fisker Automotive will be bringing in about two dozen workers from Pontiac, Michigan and will be hiring “many times that number.”

Datz did not indicate when the hiring will begin but said that it will be in the near future.

Starting March 1, all design, engineering, sales, marketing, and administrative operations will be housed in the company’s Irvine headquarters.

The production of the cars, though, will be done at an old GM plant that the company recently bought in Delaware.

Fisker Automotive also reiterated that the consolidation will not affect their partnerships with several dozen Michigan based engineering firms and parts supplier.