Fisker Ocean SUV commences production in Austria on schedule
American EV automaker Fisker Inc. has just hit a major company milestone years in the making. Contract manufacturer Magna Steyr has officially begun production of the Fisker Ocean SUV at its carbon neutral facility in Graz, Austria. With Magna’s help, this second iteration of the Fisker brand continues to prove the naysayers wrong while moving to deliver a truly unique looking EV.
Shortly after its rebirth as Fisker Inc. ($FSR), the American automaker began teasing an all-electric SUV focused on sustainability and a distinctive design founder Henrik Fisker is known for. There have been plenty of bumps along the way, but Fisker truly got the Ocean’s wheels turning so to speak, when it signed a contract manufacturing agreement with Magna International.
As one of the top five largest contract manufacturers in the world, Magna was a brilliant partner to bring onboard to help get the Fisker Ocean over the production finish line. It was on this same day one year ago that Henrik and the Fisker team officially debuted the Ocean SUV in front of a crowd at the Los Angeles Auto Show.
Since then, Fisker has an reported increasing appetite for the Ocean ahead of production, most recently tallying over 63,000 reservations following its Q3 report. Furthermore, its 2023 Sport and Ultra trims of the Ocean are already sold out in the US. Throughout all the updates the past 365 days, Fisker continually relayed that Ocean production remained and track, and it wasn’t lying.
Ocean Production kicks off a new era of Fisker EVs
Fisker shared a brief press release this morning, confirming the long anticipated start of Ocean production in Austria, where Henrik Fisker has been frequently visiting to monitor the flagship EV’s progress. He shared his thoughts:
It’s an emotional day as we start production of the world’s most sustainable vehicle in record time – on time – in the carbon-neutral factory in Graz. We’ve challenged the old model of longer development timelines, reflecting our team’s agility and dedication to creating emotionally desirable vehicles with the newest, most unique, experience on our price range. We have the highest quality at launch, aligned with our commitment to leading the industry in sustainability. More than 63,000 customers worldwide share our enthusiasm. It’s a day for our team and fans to celebrate.
Good on you, Henrik. You deserve to celebrate this moment because many have doubted you. The team should absolutely celebrate today, but get back to work tomorrow. The next task will be delivering the Fisker Ocean SUVs and dealing with any and all issues that come with bespoke vehicles and scaled production.
Speaking of which, Fisker states that Magna Steyr will manufacture over 300 Ocean SUVs in Q1 of 2023, rapidly increasing to 8,000 units in Q2, and 15,000 in Q3. By the end of next year, Fisker expects to see 42,400 completed Oceans in all.
By debuting an EV with starting MSRP of $37,499, Fisker had also made good on a promise to offer EV below $30k, should that customer qualify for the full $7,500 federal tax credit. However, new terms of the Inflation Reduction Act signed back in August now disqualify the Fisker Ocean from any federal tax credits since its production is overseas. The company has, however, found a few workarounds and is even working with Magna Steyr to possibly establish manufacturing on US soil.
Fisker’s second model, the PEAR will be built in the US by Foxconn at its recently acquired Lordstown plant in Ohio. That EV could very well qualify for federal tax credits, would could be tremendous for consumers considering Fisker Inc. says it will arrive at a starting price below $30,000.
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A dozen Tesla vehicles burned at a store in Toulouse, France. Arson is suspected amid global protests and vandalism attacks against Tesla and Elon Musk.
Last night, a dozen Tesla vehicles burned down at Tesla’s retail and service location in Plaisance-du-Touch near Toulouse, France.
Firefighters arrived on the scene at around 4 a.m. and contained the fire to the vehicles. Eight of them were completely destroyed, and four were greatly damaged. The damages are estimated at over 700,000 euros.
According to the local news (translated from French), the police suspected arson as a hole was found in a fence, and threats had been made over the last few weeks. The Tesla location remained closed all day.
Tesla is currently being protested by anti-fascist groups around the world, especially in the US, where many are targeting Tesla to protest against Elon Musk’s involvement in the US government.
In France, there were a few protests planned, but some extremist groups are calling for widespread arson against Tesla stores:
I won’t share the link to the article since it gives step-by-step instructions on how to burn down Tesla stores without getting caught, but the manifesto explains that they are going after Tesla as a “symbol of capitalism,” although they also list a dozen other reasons including the fact that they think it’s “doable and cheap.”
Electrek’s Take
This is getting nuts. It’s not only dangerous, but it’s also not super effective in achieving the goal they claim to want to achieve.
Have they never heard of insurance? Tesla is having issues selling cars right now. You are burning unsold inventory that they can then claim to their insurance.
Sure, it disrupts their operations for a short period of time, but it’s not worth it.
Their manifesto does say to avoid violence and not to target vehicles owned by individuals – though it doesn’t sound like a strict rule for them, but I think these people are likely going to end up in jail for having achieved nothing.
The protests and boycotts are going strong. You don’t need to burn cars to make yourself heard.
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Environment
Ford F-150 Lightning sales have been falling for months: What’s going on with the EV pickup?
Is Ford’s electric pickup in trouble? Sales have been down for months, and February showed no relief. What’s going on with the Ford F-150 Lightning?
Ford F-150 Lightning sales drop again in February 2025
Ford’s US sales dropped by 9% last month. Although electrified vehicles, including EVs and hybrids, both notched double-digit growth, sales of Ford’s gas-powered (ICE) models, which accounted for over 85% of deliveries, fell nearly 13%.
Hybrids saw higher demand with sales up 27.5% to 15,357, while EV sales increased 15% to 7,326. The Mustang Mach-E was a bright spot with 3,312 models sold in February, up 13% from the prior year.
With 6,841 Mach-Es sold through the first three months of 2025, Ford’s electric crossover SUV remains a top-selling EV in the US.
Ford’s electric pickup didn’t fare as well. F-150 Lightning Sales were down nearly 15% last month with only 2,199 units sold. Through March, Ford has sold 15% fewer Lightning models than it did at this time last year.
Sales of the electric pickup have been slipping for months now. In the final three months of 2024, F-150 Lightning sales were down 10%.
The Lightning, alongside Rivian’s R1T, are no longer the only electric pickups on the market. Ford is facing new competition with the Tesla Cybertruck, Chevy Silverado EV, and GMC Sierra EV, arriving.
According to Cox Automotive, the Tesla Cybertruck slipped past the Lightning to become the fifth best-selling EV in the US last year with nearly 39,000 units sold. Ford’s Lightning was sixth with just over 33,500 models sold.
Ford extended its “Power Promise” promo earlier this year to boost demand, giving EV buyers a Level 2 home charger and other benefits, but Lightning sales are still down.
The American automaker cut Lightning production at its Rouge Electric Vehicle Center last year, citing slower-than-expected demand. A new report from Automotive News claims Ford is now ending a pilot program to stock and distribute EVs through regional hubs after it failed to catch on. It was designed to speed up deliveries.
Although Ford plans to launch a smaller midsize electric pickup, it won’t arrive until at least two more years. With new competition, like the Ram 1500 REV and Volkswagen Scout pickup, hitting the market over the next few years, Ford may find it even harder to attract buyers.
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Costco’s Auto Program recently introduced some new member-only incentives, and the 2025 Volvo EX90 BEV is now on its list.
Volvo is offering Costco Executive Members $2,000 off the 2025 EX90. Costco Gold Star and Business members are eligible for $1,500 off. The incentives are available on all versions of the Volvo EX90 for members who purchase or lease from February 24 to April 30, 2025. It’s the only non-GM EV that’s that’s eligible for an incentive through the EV program.
The offer is compatible with A-Plan pricing for employees, as well as Affinity Pricing for teachers and first responders. Costco members will have had to have been members as of February 23 and be the primary members on the Costco account to qualify.
However, CarsDirect gave the heads up on how buyers can get up to $10,000 off the EX90’s MSRP. As we stated, if you’re a Costco Executive Member, that’s $2,000 off. Then, add the $7,500 EV Lease Allowance and a $500 loyalty discount on leases if you currently own or lease a Volvo or have owned or leased a Volvo within the past six months.
With the destination fee included, the base EX90 MSRP starts at $81,290, so that brings it down to $71,290, a more than 12% discount, a pretty good deal.
The 2025 AWD Volvo EX90, which can seat seven passengers comfortably, has a range of up to 310 miles and is NACS-compatible. It has a 510 hp engine, 110 kWh battery capacity, and can go from 0-60 mph in 4.7 seconds.
Read more: Review: Volvo EX90 is a smooth AWD 7-seat luxury kid-hauler
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