It was a sad day for Fisker, an American electric vehicle manufacturer. Henrik Fisker, the former BMW designer who co-founded Fisker Automotive, has resigned from the plug-in hybrid car maker, citing discord with company executives.
Fisker was a top design executive for BMW and Aston Martin before starting Fisker Automotive in 2007.
Fisker has been executive chairman for the past 13 months and said the main reasons for his departure were “several major disagreements” with “Fisker Automotive executive management on the business strategy.”
The move marks the end of his dream of launching his own car company, which the acclaimed Danish designer once described as “running over fire while people are whipping you.”
The company hasn’t produced a car since last summer and is in desperate need of capital to launch a new model. Fisker Automotive reportedly has been talking to Chinese investors.
According to Automotive News, a Chinese holding group, Zhejiang Geely, which owns Volvo, leads the bidding to take over Fisker Automotive.
In an official statement the company said: “While Henrik has resigned from the company his presence and influence is still very much a part of Fisker Automotive. Many other companies have seen their founders depart and in many cases return to influence or even lead their company in the future. The growth process of an entrepreneur and their projects are often enhanced from these changes. Right now Fisker Automotive has plenty going on and our team is solidly focused on operations at Fisker Automotive.”
