Fisker Ocean production targets lowered and off-road version coming

After handing over the first Fisker Ocean to a Danish customer and reserving the first German specimen for himself, CEO Henrik Fisker has adjusted its production forecasts for the year 2023 and announced a new off-road version of the electric SUV called Force E.

Fisker corrected its production forecast for the Ocean when announcing its business figures for the first quarter. This year, instead of the initially planned 42 400 units, the carmaker plans to build between 32 000 and 36 000 Ocean EVs.

Fast ramping up necessary

Specifically, Fisker plans to produce 1 400 to 1 700 vehicles this second quarter “provided all partners deliver”, the company says. In the third quarter, the production rate is expected to increase significantly, reaching 6 000 vehicles per month. Such production rates are necessary to achieve the target because, so far, the number of cars built is negligible. According to Fisker, it concerns “55 engineering, marketing, and customer vehicles to start the registration and delivery process in Germany and Denmark”.

“We anticipated production of 40,000 units. The adjustment is partly due to the schedule for homologation and the supply chain,” Henrik Fisker tells the German magazine Automobilwoche. “You think you’ve thought of everything, but you see all the hidden challenges on the day it starts. Above all, the homologation kept us on our toes because we did it simultaneously in the US and Europe. Manufacturers usually separate that in terms of time.”

70 000 in 2024

The Chairman and CEO expects that up to 70 000 vehicles can be built in 2024. At least 15 000 of these will go to European customers. The company currently has more than 65 000 reservations, meaning that the EV is sold out until well into 2024, provided that every reservation results in a binding order.

The business figures themselves are still not meaningful, as the first vehicles were delivered only a few days ago. Thus sales from the vehicle business can only be booked in the second quarter. The operating loss amounted to $ 121,6 million, which, according to the company, also includes expenses for research and development “which are not expected to repeat”. Specifically, $ 45,7 million were invested, and the net cash flow from operating activities was $ 83,7 million.

Off-road version Force E coming

So far, the few Oceans already delivered are the Launch Edition One, limited to 5, 00 units. As of September, there will be more and cheaper variants (two- and four-wheel-drive), and another variant is to follow later this year, the Force E.

Fisker published pictures of the off-road version of the Ocean, which will be delivered in the fourth quarter of 2023. The 550 hp strong Fisker Ocean Force E is said to have a noticeably higher ground clearance and greater slope angles, as well as 33-inch all-terrain tires on reinforced 20-inch rims. The wheel arches are extended, the lower part of the car will be protected, and the dampers will be specific. A titanium plate protects the battery from off-road dangers.

As the company explains in response to user inquiries via Twitter, the off-road package should also be able to be retrofitted to the existing Fisker Ocean with all-wheel drive Ultra or Extreme versions). However, the exact details and prices remain under wraps. In the first pictures, one can also see the optional roof rack. Also optional are an easy-to-clean rubber floor cover and additional attachment points.