Fisker to enter UK market in 2023 with Ocean electric SUV
US firm will open first showroom in London in 2022; has outsourced firms to provide aftersales services
Fisker, maker of the Ocean electric SUV that's due to launch in 2022, has announced plans to enter the UK market in 2023.
The American start-up firm, headed by Danish engineer and entrepreneur Henrik Fisker, will first set up is first ‘consumer experience centre’ in London in 2022 to allow potential buyers to get up close and personal with the Ocean and any future models.
To help facilitate its “asset-light and digital-forward business model,” Fisker has partnered with Cox Automotive UK and Rivus Fleet Solutions to deliver “a range of aftersales services for the UK market”. This will include vehicle servicing, maintenance, deliveries, fleet management, valuations and reselling.
The UK is said to be "one of the first" countries outside of the US where the Ocean will be sold.
Henrik Fisker said: “In creating Fisker as a company focused on both product and owner experience breakthroughs, partnerships with the world’s leading service providers are an essential element to deliver that vision.
“With recent UK government announcements related to electric vehicles, we believe Fisker will be well placed and well timed to make significant progress in this important market.”
Fisker intends to launch the Ocean, a seven-seat SUV rival to the Tesla Model Y that promises a range of 300 miles, during the last quarter of 2022. European examples, including those sent to the UK, will be built by Magna Automotive. Although not confirmed, that will likely be at its main production hub in Graz, Austria.
Earlier this year, Fisker announced plans to go public and float on the New York Stock Exchange in order to fund production of the Ocean. Its share price has more than doubled from a low of $8.96 in late October to a high of $21.61 since it was floated.
The Ocean was revealed in early 2019 at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. It’s being touted by the company as the “world’s most sustainable vehicle,” and all but entry-level models will feature a 301bhp four-wheel-drive powertrain.
In the US, prices will start from just under $30,000 (just over £22,500) once the EV tax credit is applied, but expect it to be around 20% more expensive by the time it goes on sale in the UK.
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