Business & Innovation...

One of the most buzzed-about concept cars at this month's North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Mich., was the new sports-luxury plug-in hybrid from Fisker Automotive, called the Karma. Delivery of the first few models is planned for Fall 2009, a year and a half after its closest competitor, the all-electric Telsa Roadster, hits the streets this spring.

The Karma is powered by something the manufacturer calls QDrive: a small gasoline-powered engine turns a generator, which charges a lithium-ion battery pack that powers the electric motor. That's what gets the wheels turning—fast. The Karma promises to do 0-60 in under 6 seconds with a top speed of 125 mph. Just as importantly, Fisker says the Q Drive configuration can deliver up to 50 miles a day of emissions-free driving, aslong as the car is recharged every night. The company goes on to say that if Karma drivers cover 50 miles or fewer every day and charge every night, it's possible to only make one annual trip to the gas station to refuel the combustion engine.

The four-door body is low-slung and sexy, a rarity in alternative-fuel vehicles. (See the cute-as-a-button ZAP Xebra or blunt-as-a-bludgeon Toyota Prius for comparison.) People who pay attention to design may find the Karma has a familiar European sports sedan feel; that's because Henrik Fisker designed the Aston Martin DB9 and the BMW Z8 in a previous, gas-guzzling life.

The design has us smitten and the technology has us convinced we'd be better people if we had a Karma. We're ready to drop the cash to drive quick and clean. Not so fast, there, Sparky. The first run, which will look almost identical to the car shown in Detroit, is already sold out. In classic supercar fashion, $1,000 buys a place in line for the 2010 models,which will retail for somewhere in the $80,0000 range, a full $20,000 less than a Tesla. Karma comes to those with patience and a healthy bank account.