Henrik Fisker
Henrik Fisker (born 10 August 1963) is a Danish automotive designer and entrepreneur based in Los Angeles, California, US. He is best known as the founder of Fisker Automotive and Fisker Inc, and as a designer of luxury cars. After working at BMW, Ford, and Aston Martin, Fisker founded Fisker Automotive in 2007. The company failed to meet production deadlines despite significant federal and private investment.
Henrik Fisker

Eric Graciano · The uploader on Wikimedia Commons received this from Eric Graciano. · CC BY-SA 3.0
- Name
- Henrik Fisker
- Born
- 10 August 1963
- Birthplace
- Allerød, Denmark
- Education
- ArtCenter College of Design
- Occupation
- Car designer and businessman
- Known for
- Luxury car design
- Nationality
- Kingdom of Denmark
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Henrik Fisker (born 10 August 1963) is a Danish automotive designer and entrepreneur based in Los Angeles, California, US. He is best known as the founder of Fisker Automotive and Fisker Inc, and as a designer of luxury cars. After working at BMW, Ford, and Aston Martin, Fisker founded Fisker Automotive in 2007. The company failed to meet production deadlines despite significant federal and private investment.
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Henrik Fisker (born 1963) is a Danish businessperson and designer. The businessperson was born in Denmark.
Henrik Fisker studied at Art Center College of Design. The businessperson worked for Fisker and Fisker Automotive. Languages used include Danish.
Composed from admitted, traceable facts · 26 September 2026
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In this article
Biography
Biography
Fisker resigned in 2013. The New York Times described the company as the "Solyndra of the electric car industry" and a "debacle". He then became the CEO of Fisker Inc., which he co-founded with his wife in 2016; the company filed for bankruptcy in 2024.
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Henrik Fisker • Born — 10 August 1963 • Birthplace — Allerød, Denmark • Education — ArtCenter College of Design • Occupation — Car designer and businessman • Years Active — 1989–present • Known for — Luxury car design • Children — 2
Early life and education
Early life and education
Fisker was born in Allerød, Denmark. As a young boy he became interested in cars after seeing a Maserati Bora on the highway, and soon started sketching designs in notebooks. He graduated with a degree in transportation design from the Art Center College of Design in Vevey, Switzerland, in 1989.
BMW
BMW
• Illustration — BMW Z8 In 1989, Fisker began working at BMW Technik, the company's advanced design studio in Munich. His first project he collaborated was the E1 electric concept car, designed by Mark Clarke. From 1992 to 1997, he refined the Z07 concept car, which would become the BMW Z8 roadster, produced from 1999 to 2003. The car combined design elements from the company's past with a modern look, paying homage to the BMW 507 (produced from 1956 to 1959). Fisker also worked on the design of BMW's first SUV, a mid-size luxury crossover introduced in 1999, the X5. From 1999 to 2001, Fisker was the president and chief executive officer of Designworks, a BMW industrial design studio headquartered in Newbury Park, California.
Ford, Aston Martin, and others
Ford, Aston Martin, and others
• Illustration — Aston Martin V8 Vantage Fisker left BMW for the Ford Motor Company in 2001, where he served as design director at Aston Martin. He was in charge of the production design of the Aston Martin DB9 (in production from 2004 to 2016), bringing in elements from the history of Aston Martin cars. The DB9 was available as both a coupe and a convertible. Fisker also designed the Aston Martin V8 Vantage (in production from 2005 to 2018). It was named the coolest car of the year and the best sounding car of the year by Top Gear in 2005. The Vantage is the best selling Aston Martin of all time. The extent of Fisker's involvement in designing both the DB9 and V8 Vantage has been disputed, however, with former director of design at Aston Martin Ian Callum saying the two cars were largely designed under his watch before Fisker joined the company. From September 2001 to August 2003, Fisker was creative director of Ingeni, Ford's London-based design and creativity center. In August 2003, he became the director of Ford's Global Advanced Design Studio in Irvine, California, where the Ford Shelby GR-1 was designed. In 2005, Fisker left Aston Martin and the Ford Motor Company. In 2007, Tesla Motors hired Fisker to perform initial design work on the Tesla Model S electric sedan, which was introduced in 2012. That year, he also designed the body of the Artega GT two-door sports car, Artega Automobile's first model, which was produced between 2009 and 2012. It spawned the 2011 Artega SE, an electric sports car with an identical body.
Fisker Coachbuild
Fisker Coachbuild
In 2005, Fisker partnered with Bernhard Koehler to start a custom car firm, Fisker Coachbuild, based in Orange County, California. The company's first car was the Fisker Tramonto, a roadster based on the Mercedes-Benz SL 55 AMG. The company's second car was the Fisker Latigo CS, with a re-bodied BMW 645Ci coupe. 17 units of Tramonto were ever built in collaboration with coachbuilder Stola. • Illustration — A Fisker Tramonto at the 2006 Paris Motor Show • Illustration — A Fisker Latigo C6 at the 2006 Orange County Auto Show
Fisker Automotive
Fisker Automotive
• Illustration — A 2012 Fisker Karma In August 2007, Fisker and Quantum Technologies launched Fisker Automotive in Anaheim, California. The first car to be designed by Fisker Automotive was the Fisker Karma, a hybrid sports sedan. The Karma was the only car by Fisker to ever be produced. In 2009, Fisker displayed the company's second model, the Karma Sunset, a two-door retractable-hardtop convertible based on the regular Karma. The Fisker Surf, displayed in 2011, was designed as a four-door plug-in hybrid hatchback. Neither the Sunset or the Surf entered production. In 2008, Fisker raised over $90 million from investors including venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers and actor Leonardo DiCaprio. In total, the company raised over $1 billion from private investors. In September 2009, Fisker Automotive was awarded a $528 million loan guarantee by the United States Department of Energy (DOE). The automaker was one of four recipients of the Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing Loan Program, to encourage the domestic manufacture of electric cars. The funds were to be used to develop the Karma, as well as an affordable family-size plug-in hybrid car. The loan facility was frozen at $192 million in February 2012, after the DOE claimed that Fisker missed its milestones. According to the DOE, the government recouped a total of approximately $53 million ($28 million from the company plus $25 million from the sale of the loan to Hybrid Technology, months before assets of Fisker Automotive were sold to Wanxiang for $149.2 million). The New York Times described the company as the "Solyndra of the electric car industry" and a "debacle". Fisker resigned as chairman from Fisker Automotive in March 2013, after the company failed to meet a series of production deadlines. Later that year, the company declared voluntary bankruptcy. Assets of Fisker Automotive were sold at a bankruptcy auction in 2014 to Chinese automotive parts firm Wanxiang for $149.2 million. In September 2015, Fisker Automotive was renamed Karma Automotive. The Fisker Karma was renamed the Karma Revero in 2016. Fisker is not affiliated with Karma Automotive or its parent company Wanxiang.
HF Design
HF Design
In 2013, Fisker formed HF Design & Technology, a Los Angeles-based design house. In November 2014, Fisker designed the Galpin-Fisker Mustang Rocket, a coachbuilt custom-bodied Mustang. The car was a collaboration between HF Design and Galpin Auto Sports. In 2017, it was renamed the VLF Rocket V8.
VLF Automotive
VLF Automotive
In January 2016, Fisker formed VLF Automotive with manufacturer and former Boeing executive Gilbert Villarreal, and auto engineer and former General Motors executive Bob Lutz, to manufacture small-run handcrafted luxury cars. Based in Auburn Hills, Michigan, VLF is the successor to VL Automotive, which was launched in 2013 and led by Villarreal and Lutz. VLF designed the Force 1 V10 car in 2016. Production began at VLF's Auburn Hills manufacturing facility in August 2016, with approximately 50 of the two-seaters scheduled to be manufactured. Only five cars were actually produced.
Fisker Inc.
Fisker Inc.
In 2016, Fisker launched Fisker Inc. The company's only vehicle is the Fisker Ocean, which began production in 2022. The first deliveries of the launch edition, the Ocean One, occurred in May 2023. As of 2022, the Ocean had 63,000 preorders. Only 10,000 were built, with fewer than half delivered. On 8 July 2020, Fisker announced the completion of a US$50 million Series C financing round funded by Moore Strategic Ventures, the private investment arm of Louis Bacon. On 13 July 2020, Fisker announced that Fisker Inc. would offer an initial public offering on the New York Stock Exchange through a merger with special-purpose acquisition company Spartan Energy Acquisition Corp., which is backed by private equity firm Apollo Global Management. On 30 October 2020, Fisker Inc. officially closed its merger with Spartan Energy Acquisition Corp. The company is publicly listed and traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker (NYSE:FSR). On 28 June 2021, Fisker stock was added to the Russell 3000 Index. On 17 June 2024, Fisker Inc. filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in Delaware, listing liabilities at between $100 million to $500 million and assets between $500 million and $1 billion. The company stated that possible deal talks with a big automaker collapsed, which led it to its bankruptcy. Fisker claims that it is planning to repay its creditors during the bankruptcy proceedings.
Tesla Motors v. Fisker Coachbuild (2008)
Tesla Motors v. Fisker Coachbuild (2008)
On 14 April 2008, Tesla Motors filed a lawsuit against Fisker Coachbuild, Fisker and Koehler, contending that they had fraudulently agreed to a design contract in 2007 only to gain access to confidential information, before announcing a competing vehicle, the Fisker Karma. Both the Tesla and Fisker vehicles in question were designed as serial hybrid cars, with a gas engine powering a generator that charges a battery to power the electric motor, and both were initially planned for delivery in 2010. The lawsuit sought to prevent Fisker from using Tesla design documents, along with a return of the money from the Tesla contract, plus punitive damages. Fisker filed for arbitration in May 2008. An arbitrator ruled in their favour in November 2008, finding "overwhelming" evidence showing that Fisker did not do anything wrong. Subsequently, Tesla was ordered to pay US$1.14 million in legal fees and costs to Fisker.
Fisker Automotive congressional hearing (2013)
Fisker Automotive congressional hearing (2013)
Following his resignation from Fisker Automotive in March 2013, Fisker voluntarily testified on 24 April 2013, at a congressional hearing led by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee on the Department of Energy's $192 million disbursement to Fisker Automotive through the Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing Loan Program. Fisker Automotive had failed earlier that week to meet the deadline for repayment on the loan, which was originally approved as a $529 million loan guarantee.
Fisker v. Aston Martin (2015–16)
Fisker v. Aston Martin (2015–16)
On 4 January 2016, Fisker filed a suit against Aston Martin and three of its executives for US$100 million in damages for civil extortion, claiming that his former employer was trying to prevent him from unveiling his new luxury sports car hybrid, the VLF Force 1 V10, at the 2016 North American International Auto Show. The complaint claimed that after Fisker released a single pen-on-paper sketch of the Force 1 in December 2015, he received a letter from Aston Martin claiming the design was too similar to their DB10 and demanding that he either change the design or not display the car at the auto show. Aston Martin had previously sued Fisker in 2015 over his car design for the Thunderbolt. That case was settled after Fisker agreed not to move forward with the vehicle. Following the January 2016 auto show debut of the Force 1, it was clear that the vehicle was not similar to the DB10. Aston Martin subsequently stopped threatening to interfere with the development of the Force 1, and the matter was resolved in April 2016.
Personal life
Personal life
Fisker is married to Geeta Gupta-Fisker, who was the co-founder and CFO of Fisker Inc.
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 1 entries
1963
Henrik Fisker was born on 10 August 1963.
Primary material
Documents and archives
reference work
- “Henrik Fisker”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
institutional register
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q438667: Henrik Fisker
General reference · Wikimedia Foundation
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Yeomans, Jon. Henrik Fisker: 'I left Aston Martin for my electric SUV dream'. The Sunday Times. 26 March 2023.
- 2.Vlasic, Bill. Breaking Down on the Road to Electric Cars. The New York Times. 24 April 2013. 0362-4331.
- 3.Squatriglia, Chuck. Henrik Fisker's 'Timeless' Automotive Designs. Wired. 1059-1028.
- 4.Scott Kraft, "Henrik Fisker: Moving, rapidly, into the future," Los Angeles Times, 12 December 2009.
- 5.Joann Muller, "The Next Detroit," Forbes, 21 May 2009.
- 6."BMW still has love for Fisker's design," Automotive News, 21 March 2016.
- 7.John Phillips, "What I'd Do Differently: Henrik Fisker," Car and Driver, December 2011.
- 8.Dredge, Richard. BMW E1. Below the Radar.
- 9."BMW Car Designers throughout history," BMWism.com, 31 January 2013.
- 10.Surya Solanki, "History of the BMW X Series," bmwblog.com, 6 April 2015.
- 11.Fara Warner, "Creative Drive," Fast Company, 31 August 2001.
- 12."Aston Martin High End Luxury Sports Cars," Rags To Riches, 15 April 2016.
- 13.Gooderham, Michael. The cars of Ian Callum: Aston Martin DB9. Car Design News. 2019-03-25.
- 14.Duff, Mike. Ian Callum: What I'd Do Differently. Car and Driver. 12 April 2010.
- 15.Garrett, Jerry. Fisker's Vision: A Handbuilt Coach With Lots of Horses. The New York Times. 11 September 2005. 0362-4331.
- 16.Miller, Claire Cain. Tesla Promised Another $40 Million, Loses Lawsuit. Bits Blog. 3 November 2008.
- 17.Muoio, Danielle. How one of the most legendary car designers is making a comeback. Business Insider.
- 18.Artega SE joins growing list of all-electric sportscars. New Atlas. 23 March 2011.
- 19.Berman, Bradley. Henrik Fisker Resigns From Fisker Automotive. Wheels Blog. 13 March 2013.
- 20.Dealbook. E-Car Start-Ups Try to Compete With Major Companies. DealBook. 13 January 2009.
- 21.Motavalli, Jim. Fisker Adds a Second Car, the Karma S. Wheels Blog. 12 January 2009.
- 22.Fisker Karma S Sunset: World's First Hybrid Convertible. Jalopnik. 12 January 2009.
- 23.Garrett, Jerry. With Surf, Fisker Builds a Karma Hauler. Wheels Blog. 13 September 2011.
- 24.A look under the hood: why electric car startup Fisker crashed and burned – Old GigaOm. old.gigaom.com.
- 25.Chernova, Yuliya. How the Wheels Came Off for Fisker. Wall Street Journal. 24 April 2013. 0099-9660.
- 26.Bunkley, Nick. Fisker to Make Plug-In Hybrids at Former G.M. Plant. The New York Times. 26 October 2009. 0362-4331.
- 27.Motavalli, Jim. Fisker to Receive $528.7 Million Federal Loan. Wheels Blog. 24 September 2009.
- 28.Fisker bankruptcy: Feds to lose $139 million on Fisker Automotive. Christian Science Monitor. 0882-7729.
- 29.Keane, Angela Greiling. Fisker to Sell Assets in Bankruptcy at $139 Million Lossn. Bloomberg. 23 November 2013.
- 30.Electric cars will overtake plug-in hybrids, says Henrik Fisker. Green Car Reports. 22 March 2016.
- 31.Kirsten Korosec, "The Fortune Q&A: Henrik Fisker," Fortune, 6 April 2016.
- 32.Designer Henrik Fisker joins Bob Lutz's team to jump-start new luxury automaker VLF in Auburn Hills. Crain's Detroit Business. 9 January 2016.
- 33.Mike Ramsey, "Karma Automotive Renames Updated Electric Car, Moves Production to U.S.," Wall Street Journal, 25 April 2016.
- 34.Henrik Fisker Looks To Form Joint Venture With Indian Firm. Motor Authority. 29 January 2015.
- 35.George, Alexander. Henrik Fisker Designed This Motorcycle for the Lego Heir. Wired. 1059-1028.
- 36.Jalopnik. The 725 Horsepower VLF Rocket Could Have Been So Good. 31 May 2018.
- 37.Davies, Alex. Henrik Fisker Is Back With a Ferocious $100K Custom Mustang. Wired. 1059-1028.
- 38.Stoll, John D. A Danish Master Finds New Life in an American Classic. WSJ.
- 39.Motor Authority. Mustang-based Rocket super muscle car added to VLF lineup. 13 January 2017.
- 40.GM Icon Bob Lutz, Henrik Fisker Announce New Company, VFL Automotive. Bloomberg.com. 8 January 2016.
- 41.Henrik Fisker Unveils His Newest Sports Car, the VFL Automotive Force 1. Architectural Digest. 15 January 2016.
- 42.Bomey, Nathan. Henrik Fisker launches Force 1 'super car' despite Aston Martin threats. USA TODAY.
- 43.Martinez, Michael. Trio goes full speed ahead on Force 1 in Auburn Hills. The Detroit News.
- 44.Gauthier, Michael. Rare Dodge Viper-Based VLF Force 1 V10 Built For Henrik Fisker Is Up For Sale. www.carscoops.com. 24 February 2020.
- 45.Tesla's rival is back: Fisker launches an all-new battery-car company. NBC News. 4 October 2016.
- 46.Henrik Fisker Is Starting a Namesake Car Company Again. Bloomberg.com. 4 October 2016.
- 47.Fisker Press Release. Fisker Delivers First All-Electric Fisker Ocean SUV.
- 48.Magna completes the first Ocean. 17 November 2022.
- 49.Fisker Built Over 10,000 Ocean EVs In 2023. It Delivered Less Than Half. InsideEVs.
- 50.Korosec, Kirsten. Fisker raises $50 million to bring its all-electric Ocean SUV to market in 2022. TechCrunch. 8 July 2020.
- 51.Szymkowski, Sean. EV startup Fisker will go public to fund Ocean production in 2022. CNET.
- 52.Assis, Claudia. Electric-car maker Fisker shares to start trading on NYSE Friday. MarketWatch. Dow Jones & Company.
- 53.Nasdaq. Why Fisker Jumped 9% on Wednesday.
- 54.Fisker Group Files for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy in Delaware. Bloomberg Law. 17 June 2024.
- 55.Troubled Electric Vehicle Maker Fisker Files for Bankruptcy. Bloomberg. 18 June 2024.
- 56.John Markoff, "Tesla Motors Files Suit Against Competitor Over Design Ideas," New York Times, 15 April 2008.
- 57.Martin LaMonica, "Tesla Motors loses trade secrets case against Fisker," CNet, 4 November 2008.
- 58.John O’Dell, "Tesla Ordered To Pay Fisker $1.14 Million After Losing Trade Secrets Case," Edmunds.com, 4 December 2008.
- 59."Testimony of Henrik Fisker," oversight.house.gov, 24 April 2013.
- 60.Brad Plumer, "What Fisker's failure tells us about Obama's clean-energy programs," Washington Post, 24 April 2013.
- 61.Meg Handley, "House Republicans Slam Government 'Bet' on Fisker Automotive," U.S. News & World Report, 25 April 2013.
- 62.Chernova, Yuliya. Henrik Fisker Sues Aston Martin for $100 Million in Damages. The Wall Street Journal. 4 January 2016.
- 63.Fierman, William. Legendary car designer Henrik Fisker just filed a $100 million lawsuit against Aston Martin. Business Insider. 6 January 2016.
- 64.Welum. Revolutionizing the Automotive Industry.
- 65."I believe an open culture promotes accountability, responsibility and honesty". with Dr. Geeta Gupta-Fisker and Chaya Weiner. Thrive Global.
- 66.Meet The Fiskers, The Billionaire Power Couple Taking On Tesla. Forbes.
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
reference work
Secondary witnessinstitutional register
Wikidata, structured authority record Q438667: Henrik FiskerWikimedia Foundation
General reference
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 14 August 2026.
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