Fisker, a prominent US-based electric vehicle startup, has officially declared bankruptcy, undertaking measures to restructure their debt and liquidate assets. This announcement has stirred a wave of uncertainty about the future of the company’s promising projects, especially their anticipated electric vehicle models.
The bankruptcy decision not only affects Fisker’s financial standing but could also impact the wider electric vehicle market. Fisker’s representative stated that despite successfully launching their Fisker Ocean SUVs, global economic volatility and supply chain disruptions significantly impaired the company’s ability to maintain deliverance of its products.
Fisker’s bankruptcy announcement didn’t take industry insiders by surprise as the company had paused production of several models earlier in the year, including the Alaska EV.
Fisker’s bankruptcy impact on EV market
A subsequent financial review releases had also hinted at a struggle within Fisker, leading to speculations of impending bankruptcy.
In a bid to stabilize operations, Fisker intends to lay off around 15% of its staff, approx. 200 employees, switch to a Dealer Partner model and potentially collaborate with a major automaker.
In the previous year, Fisker produced 10,193 units of its single EV model – the Ocean SUV, but only managed to sell 4,929 units. Their fourth quarter revenue did grow to $200.1 million from $128.3 million, yet they faced a detrimental gross margin of 35 percent.
Filing for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy allows Fisker to potentially kickstart operations once more. This plight of Fisker’s aligns with the struggles of numerous EV startups, elucidating that navigating the booming yet competitive market of electric vehicles is indeed fraught with challenges.
