EV company Fisker Inc FSR is seemingly trying to “fix” the Ocean SUV reviewed by popular tech YouTuber Marques Brownlee who termed it the worst car he has ever reviewed in a video two weeks ago.
What Happened: George J. Saliba, Dealer Principal at J&S Mitsubishi, recorded his conversation with who he claimed was a Fisker senior field service engineer on video and posted it on TikTok on Sunday.
The engineer can be heard calling Saliba to enquire if the vehicle was sold to Brownlee or borrowed by him. Saliba is seen confirming that he has four Fiskers, one of which was borrowed by Brownlee for the review.
“He (Brownlee) is blowing up social media. He has got all senior management from Fisker down,” the engineer is heard saying on the call.
The Fisker engineer told Saliba that he had directions from senior management to fix the particular car on priority and that he would personally fix the vehicle with the help of a software update.
“This 2.0 software will fix a lot of problems but it’s not the holy grail of fixing Fisker. That I will be quite candid about,” the engineer told Saliba. “We have got a little bit more to revisit. But it will make the car markedly improved.”
A Fisker spokesperson refused to confirm if it was indeed a company engineer who contacted the dealer saying the company does not provide comments on “hearsay.”
Brownlee On The Ocean SUV: In his review of the Fisker SUV, Brownlee said that he got the vehicle from Saliba’s dealership in New Jersey because Fisker couldn't arrange one for his review. On realizing that the reviewer has got one, Fisker didn't apparently want Brownlee to review the vehicle but wait for a "really big software update."
The vehicle reviewed by the YouTuber was a launch edition of the Ocean SUV called the Ocean One priced at $68,999. The company intends to make only 5000 units of the launch edition vehicles around the globe.
"Do not buy this version of the Fisker Ocean," Brownlee said in the review.
A Fisker spokesperson had then told Benzinga that the issues pointed out by Brownlee were confined to early-build vehicles which they are attempting to address. "As adoption grows and the number of drivers and miles driven increases, our innovations are tested under a wider range of conditions that reveal ways we can improve,” the spokesperson said.
However, in all of 2023, Fisker delivered only approximately 4,900 Ocean vehicles despite producing over 10,000. Last week, Fisker reported preliminary fourth-quarter revenue of $200.1 million, an increase of $128.3 million from the prior year’s quarter, and a preliminary net loss of $1.23 per share.
The company also announced plans to lay off 15% of its workforce amid concerns it may not have sufficient funds to operate over the next 12 months.
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Image: Fisker
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