Written by Cláudio Afonso | LinkedIn | X
Electric vehicle startup Fisker has initiated a new round of layoffs this week, affecting its IT organization, Purchasing department, and Customer Relations.
In recent months, the company has faced challenges securing new investments, leading to a production pause with its manufacturing partner Magna and multiple rounds of layoffs. As part of a strategic shift, Fisker is transitioning to dealer partnership sales.
A former Fisker employee disclosed that “a lot of staff were laid off,” specifically mentioning the IT organization under the recently hired SVP of Digital Operations, Saydulu Kolasani.
Kolasani, who joined Fisker in early March, was responsible for overseeing the company’s technology infrastructure, cybersecurity, digital platforms, enterprise systems, architecture, data, and operations. Reporting directly to CEO Henrik Fisker, his team handled front-end development, including the company’s website and mobile app.
In an effort to reduce costs while negotiating a potential buyout deal, Fisker has decided this week to halt direct vehicle sales to customers in states where it lacks dealership locations.
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Previously, U.S. customers could order vehicles directly from Fisker and have them delivered to any state. Now, potential buyers based in states where the EV startup has no dealership partners are displayed with a message saying “Looks like there are no vehicles near you”.
Last Sunday, the company sent an email to its U.S. customers, informing them of the discontinuation of the roadside assistance service. This decision mirrors the earlier announcement to halt the service in Europe earlier this month.
In West Covina, California, where Fisker has dealership partners, around 40 units of the fully electric SUV, available in both Extreme and Ultra variants and starting at $34,999, are currently on display.
This strategy, which significantly lowers operating expenses, requires customers to search for available inventory in states where Fisker has partnered with dealerships.
On Tuesday, Fisker announced a new dealer partner in Denmark, expanding its sales network in Europe while in the U.S. the company added three new dealership locations reaching a total of 15 in the country.
Earlier this week, the city of Dallas has selected Ford’s commercial division in a 10-year agreement to help move the city’s climate goals forward, aiming to electrify the city’s vehicle fleet by 2040.
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Henrik Fisker is set to participate in the Economic Times Auto Tech Summit on June 20-21. Over recent months, the chief executive has remained silent amid company’s critical financial situation as it seeks further investment to avoid bankruptcy.
The 5th edition of the summit will be held at the Sheraton Grand Bengaluru Whitefield Hotel and will cover topics such as software, new manufacturing technologies, cockpit innovations, and sustainable tech.
In a new review of Fisker‘s inaugural production model, the SUV Ocean, TopGear’s Ollie Marriage affirmed on Friday that the car is “arguably better built,” “easier to use,” and offers a “more luxurious” interior compared to the Tesla Model Y.
However, Marriage warned that the startup led by Henrik Fisker is “on a financial knife edge, and might not be here next year/month/week”.
Written by Cláudio Afonso | LinkedIn | X