Report: Ex-Fisker chair blames Mitt Romney attacks for DOE loan hold-up

Filed under: Hybrid, Sedan, Government/Legal, Earnings/Financials, Fisker, Electric, Luxury

Ah, election season...

Former Fisker Automotive Chairman and current investor Ray Lane is blaming Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney for the delays in procuring federal loans that have been earmarked for the maker of the extended-range plug-in Karma and the upcoming Atlantic, according to Delaware Online.

In an e-mail, Lane said Romney is mistakenly grouping the Fisker loan from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) with money given to failed companies like solar-panel producer Solyndra. Lane, managing director at venture-capital company Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, said in the alleged e-mail that he's planning to contact Romney, whose father George Romney was once president of American Motors Corp.

The Fisker issue is particularly acute in Delaware, where the automaker had planned to expand employment and build a production version of the Atlantic sedan (a.k.a. Project Nina) shown above at a former General Motors factory. Those plans have been put on hold as Fisker sorts out its financial situation. Delaware Online reported late last week that Fisker had laid off 12 more workers at the factory, which was characterized as "absolutely empty."

The company was set to receive $529 million in federal loans but has only received a fraction of that and hasn't received funding since last year.

Ex-Fisker chair blames Mitt Romney attacks for DOE loan hold-up originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 20 Apr 2012 18:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Source: http://www.autoblog.com/2012/04/20/ex-fisker-chair-blames-mitt-romneys-attacks-for-doe-loan-hold-u/

Boston Celtics kendrick Perkins Tony Raines New York Knicks Washington Wizards Miami Heat