One Of Every Five Fisker Oceans Sold In America Is Now Being Used As A Taxi In NYC - The Autopian

"The Fisker Ocean has a fascinating story. It was supposed to be the car that led Henrik Fisker's triumphant return to carmaking in the early 2020s, after his four-door sedan, the Karma, famously flopped in 2012 (due in part to Autopian publisher Matt Hardigree, according to some). Many blamed YouTuber Marques Brownlee, known as MKBHD, for Fisker's second flop, when his review of the Ocean - provocatively titled "This is The Worst Car I've Ever Reviewed" - went viral."

"If you've visited or lived in New York City over the past six months, you've probably noticed something strange: There's a disproportionately large number of Fisker Oceans on the roads. That's because the remainder of Fisker's inventory was purchased in bulk by a company called American Lease during the bankruptcy proceedings. This company makes money by leasing out vehicles to rideshare drivers in NYC, who use them for services like Uber and Lyft."

"Why would American Lease buy a bunch of Oceans-mostly unproven vehicles from a startup manufacturer-to deploy as cabs in one of the country's most brutal driving environments? There are a few reasons. The first, and most obvious: They were cheap as hell. According to bankruptcy court filings, American Lease paid $46.25 million to acquire 3,321 Oceans from Fisker. That works out to around $14,000 a car, though the actual number per car varied based on each vehicle's condition."

The Fisker Ocean was intended to revive Henrik Fisker's carmaking career after the Karma's 2012 failure. A viral review by Marques Brownlee labeled the Ocean the worst car he'd reviewed and drew blame for Fisker's struggles. An editor named David Tracy drove an Ocean and liked it more than internet opinion suggested. Fisker ran out of money and declared bankruptcy last year. Remaining Ocean inventory was purchased in bulk by American Lease, which leases vehicles to rideshare drivers in New York City. Bankruptcy filings show American Lease paid $46.25 million for 3,321 Oceans, roughly $14,000 apiece. Some cars were damaged or used as engineering test beds.

Read at The Autopian