There were no doubts that Hurricane Sandy would create complete chaos and destruction, and of course that includes the automakers. From the reports that have come in so far, Fisker is the hardest hit of all of them when a line of Fisker Karmas getting ready to be shipped to dealers were caught in Port Newark. We all know how the storm pummeled that area and of course there was flooding, but no one is quite sure how 16 of the Karmas caught fire, but that is what happened to these gorgeous beasts. Since each Karma is valued at well over $100,000, you can do the math to see how much loss 16 destroyed models would add up to.
This is not the first time that Karma’s have been known to catch fire, but the first time they were reported catching fire due to being flooded with sea water. These cars weren’t charged and had not been driven as far as anyone knows. The only cause anyone can come up with is the sea water did something to ignite the batteries.
Fisker has released an official statement about this:
“It was reported today that several Fisker Karmas were damaged by fire at the Port of Newark after being submerged in sea water during Superstorm Sandy. We can report that there were no injuries and none of the cars were being charged at the time. We have confidence in the Fisker Karma and safety is our primary concern. While we intend to find the cause as quickly as possible, storm damage has restricted access to the port. We will issue a further statement once the root cause has been determined.”
Source Jalopnik