Fisker Surf Concept

The 2012 Fisker Karma extended range electric car (plug-in hybrid) may have been sold on its sexy good looks, and sporty performance -- but now the luxury sedan has a more practical sibling -- the Fisker Surf. 

Unveiled today at the 2011 Frankfurt Auto Show, the 2013 Fisker Surf is a crossover wagon variant of the luxury sports sedan. Based on the Karma, the Surf shares the same chassis and powertrain as the $95,900+ sedan but replaces the Karma’s sleek rear with a more practical wagon roofline and hatch.

Performance-wise, the Surf is almost identical to the Karma, with a top speed in electric-only (Stealth) mode of 95 miles-per-hour. 0-60 mph takes place in 7.9 seconds, and the range is approximately 50 miles per charge. 
In dual-power mode (Sport), the Surf is capable of accelerating from 0-60 mph in 5.9 seconds, and can go on to a top speed of 125 miles-per-hour. 
Recharging from empty takes 14 hours using a domestic 110-volt outlet, while a level 2 charge can take place in as little as 6 hours. 

Just like the Karma, the Surf has plenty of power, producing over 981 pound-feet in sport mode. 
But while the Karma may have plenty of power, great looks and a combined gasoline-electric range of 300 miles, it won’t be as practical as it first may suggest. 
The Surf retains the Karma’s four-seat layout with the main battery pack placed in the center of the car.  It also retains the Karma’s large “electronics hump” behind the rear seats. 
The resulting obstruction means that even though the Surf’s rear seats fold down, you won’t be taking the Surf to pick up that antique bookcase you just found downtown -- making the Surf a little less practical than its outward appearance might suggest. 
There’s no price yet for the 2013 Fisker Surf -- but we’re not expecting much change for $110,000. 

We’ll be bringing you more from Fisker later on -- but to keep up to date with the very latest news from the 2011 Frankfurt Auto Show, but in the meantime  head here for our full coverage of the Frankfurt show thus far.

With Fisker just starting to deliver its first Karma plug-in hybrid sports sedans--no, still not a single road test by any journalist--attention now turns toward the Frankfurt Motor Show.

Next week, the company will pull the covers off a concept for what it says will be the next model in the Fisker Karma lineup, a car it had discussed as long ago as March.

Meanwhile, it's released a teaser sketch of what turns out to be a Karma "shooting brake," which is British for a sporty two-door wagon. The Ferrari FF falls into this category, as does a Mercedes-Benz concept that it confusingly calls the "Shooting Break."

The Surf is likely to use a version of the Karma sedan's range-extended electric powertrain, which uses a pair of 150-kilowatt electric motors (one each side of the differential) to drive the rear wheels, powered by a  22-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery pack with cells sourced from A123 Systems.

When the pack is depleted after up to 50 miles of electric running, or the driver switches into "Power" mode, a 2.0-liter direct-injected and turbocharged GM four-cylinder engine switches on to generate electricity that powers the car for 200 more miles.

Next week's Surf concept previews a model that will likely come to market next year, before the production version of the stunning  unveiled at 2009’s Detroit Auto Show