Detroit '09: Fisker Karma S

The atmosphere is electric at the Detroit Show...

Detroit may have once been home to the muscle car, but these days oomph seems to be measured in volts and not horses. Everyone at the Detroit show was clambering to show off their green credentials and new manufacturer Fisker was no exception.

The Karma plug-in hybrid saloon has been around for a while but this time the company was showing off an SL-rival in the form of the Karma S. It is a hardtop/convertible. The good news is it could sell for as little as £60,000, boasts a lightweight aluminium spaceframe chassis and is RWD.

As well as a 260bhp 2.0-litre petrol engine there is an electric motor in the back and a number of lithium ion batteries, which arguably gives you the best of all worlds. It all amounts to 397bhp, which gives the car a 0-60mph figure of 5.8 seconds and a top speed of 125mph.

In terms of range the car can cover 50 miles in ‘stealth mode’ – battery-powered only – and is equivalent to 100mpg. There are also varying modes the car can be used in that should provide decent mpg matched with strong performance.

It is not clear yet whether the Fisker will come to the UK but RHD is being considered.

Thanks to EcoGeek for the vid