2023 Fisker Ocean is in production with rapid ramp-up planned

• Initial production of the 2023 Fisker Ocean began today at their carbon-neutral facility in Graz, Austria, with most deliveries scheduled for next year as production ramps up from 300 in the first quarter of 2023 to 8,000 in the second quarter and more expected by the end of the year than 42,000.

• All Ocean One firsts have been announced, as have 2,023 examples of the available FWD Sport and AWD Ultra, but orders are still being taken for the top-of-the-line AWD Ocean Extreme, priced at $68,999 — plus a yet-to-be-announced destination charge.

• Fisker says the top-of-the-line model will deliver an EPA-estimated range of 350 miles and can hit 60 mph in 3.6 seconds thanks to the 550 horsepower available on the dual-motor AWD platform.

Official production of Henrik Fisker’s long-awaited film began today The all-electric Ocean five-passenger SUVwhich had an indefinite gestation period until a tie-up with assembly partner Magna International was announced in October 2020. Fisker’s previous car, Fisker Karma Hybridnot related to the Fisker Ocean project, the tools were sold off and rebuilt by Karma Automotive as Henrik Fisker himself focused on his all-electric Ocean SUV project.

Expectations are high that Ocean will make a good first impression when customer deliveries begin. After all, the Magna Steyr plant in Graz, Austria also makes the Mercedes-Benz G-Class, BMW 5 Series and Jaguar E-Pace and I-Pace, as well as the BMW Z4 and Toyota Supra. As expected from an established assembly plant, they seem to be on the right track to deal with build quality and early teething issues, with production ramping up gradually, leading to just 300 examples being produced by the end of the first quarter of 2023. And it’s not like Ocean’s assembly line switch was just flipped today, as about 95 prototype Ocean cars were built when the line came together. Production will increase to 8,000 by the end of the second quarter of next year and rise to more than 42,000 by the end of the year.

Compared to unrelated Volkswagen ID.4, the Ocean SUV is about five inches wider and nearly eight inches longer (both in wheelbase and overall), but it’s not taller. This gives it a sleek shape that, importantly, also provides more underfloor space for a larger battery. The capacity of that battery has yet to be announced, but Fisker reports that all-wheel drive vehicles equipped with the larger Hyper Range battery will have a range of up to 350 miles according to EPA testing methodology, thanks in part to the rear engine. the shutdown that comes into play while cruising. On the other hand, Fisker says Boost mode will deploy up to 550 horsepower, which can propel the car to 60 mph in 3.6 seconds.

The front-wheel-drive Sport, which is currently sold out for 2023 thanks to a low starting price of $37,499 before destination, will use the lesser Touring Range package and offer a range of 250 miles. Its single-motor powertrain produces 275 horsepower and propels the entry-level Ocean to 60 mph in 6.9 seconds.

Few interior dimensions have been released other than headroom, but at 41.1 inches in the front and 40.4 inches in the rear, things really look promising for a relatively low-slung electric crossover that offers a panoramic glass roof in all directions. Tinted glass panels are fixed on the entry-level Sport, sliding on the mid-level Ultra and supplemented by photovoltaic panels on the Extreme and first-version One.

With any luck, we’ll be able to evaluate and test an early production model in the first half of 2023. Ocean has been a long time coming, but Henrik Fisker’s association with the established car assembly company seems to be on the verge of paying off in a very tangible way.