Fisker gives more details on Ronin supercar (update)

Today, the Californian electric carmaker Fisker released additional details on its Fisker Ronin Super GT. This all-electric convertible was showcased for the first time at the company’s product vision day a few weeks ago. Meanwhile, the company had to lower its production targets for 2023 again.

“The Fisker Ronin is for people who love to drive but are also thrilled by automotive art and design and demand that their high-performance vehicles embrace a sustainable future,” CEO Henrik Fisker said.

“Our goal was to create a classic grand touring car, updated for the 21^st century and engineered for customers who want to drive from Los Angeles to Napa Valley on a single charge or take on the autobahn at steady high speeds without concern for battery capacity,” he added.

Independent Samurai

A Ronin is a Japanese warrior, an independent samurai without a master who sometimes acts for the good and sometimes does not. Fisker says its name choice is ­firstly an homage to the famous John Frankenheimer film of the same name, which features epic car chase scenes.

Fisker opened reservations for Ronin on August 3, the product vision day. Early customers could deposit $2 000 for the first reservation and a fully refundable $1 000 for the second. The vehicle will be priced at $385 000 (± €350 000), with deliveries targeted to start in the second half of 2025. Fisker will produce just 999 units of it.

Answer to SUV hype

Fisker’s objective with Ronin is to bring exceptional utility to the high end of the market, where numerous big-name performance manufacturers have introduced SUVs these days. But Fisker didn’t want to end up with a big, heavy sports utility vehicle.

Responding to this trend, Fisker has designed Ronin to accommodate five people while taking advantage of an electric vehicle’s layout “to provide exceptional cargo capacity”, which is not that common in the supercar world, surely not if one doesn’t embrace the boxy SUV look.

Convertible with hardtop

Rear butterfly doors will ensure easy rear-seat access. Only a single door handle will be required, as the front doors open electrically by swiping the grip or using a smartphone; the handle then extends when the rear doors are ready to open.

All doors can be opened remotely by a smartphone, and the foldable, carbon-fiber hardtop will also be smartphone activated and automatically retract into the trunk, leaving some luggage space; additional luggage space will be available in the front compartment.

Sustainable supercar

The Fisker Ronin will feature a unique aluminum space frame with integrated battery cells to achieve its targeted 600-mile range (960 km). Lightweight materials will also feature in the carbon-fiber 23-inch wheels. The car will have a three-motor all-wheel drive system with 745 kW, more than 1 000 hp of power.

“With a projected 0-60 mph (0-96 kph) time of approximately two seconds and a 170 mph (275 kph) top speed, Ronin will be able to match up with or surpass any supercar currently on the market while also delivering tremendous range,” boasts the press release.

“The focus will also be on driver enjoyment rather than autonomous technologies, although they will be available as needed,” Fisker adds.

“The interior will set new standards for sustainable luxury and use innovative recycled and sustainable materials to make Ronin the world’s most sustainable supercar,” the press release continues. The Fisker Ronin will have a 17,1-inch high-resolution screen and an instrument cluster in front of the driver.

Still somewhat careful about its promises, Fisker adds this last phrase to its news release on the projected supercar: “The Fisker Ronin is in development. The targeted range and specifications are based upon Fisker internal simulations and are subject to change.”

Lower production target

Meanwhile, Fisker is once again lowering its production target. According to its latest quarterly report, the electric car manufacturer expects to produce only 20 000 to 23 000 vehicles in 2023. That is more than 50% lower than initially planned.

The reason is “a short-term capacity constraint at one supplier,” according to the US carmaker. Fisker doesn’t give more details. It already lowered its production forecast by more than 10 000 units a few months ago, shortly after delivering the first Fisker Ocean.

Instead of the initial 42,400 units, the manufacturer aimed for 32,000 to 36,000 units for the current year – a target that was now again lowered significantly. Nevertheless, Magna, which builds the Ocean for Fisker, is now slowly ramping up production in its Steir plant, resulting in a daily assembly rate of 140 units end of July.