Fisker Wraps Investigation of Karma Fires at New Jersey Port, Blames One Car's Vehicle Control Unit

Last week, Sandy's furious tempest resulted in 16 brand-new Fisker Karma sedans and three Toyota Prius hybrids going up in flames at a shipping facility in New Jersey after being submerged in seawater for many hours.

While we have yet to hear from Toyota, Fisker's engineers finished investigating the incident and have just released their findings through a press statement.

According to the manufacturer, the culprit turned out to be a low voltage Vehicle Control Unit in one Karma, which after being under salt water for several hours, short-circuited and caused a fire that then spread to the other 15 extended-range plug-in hybrid models parked nearby due to the strong winds blowing at the time.

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U Design: Tesla Model C Concept Study for a Compact Electric Hatch by Dejan Hristov

While Tesla Motors started its career and gained worldwide attention through its 2008 electric-powered Roadster that was built around the Lotus Elise and which has since been retired, the Silicon Valley-based carmaker has much bigger plans in store for eco-conscious consumers.

This year, Tesla launched its first entry into the automotive mainstream, the Model S electric sedan that went on sale in June, and previewed its next step in making electric cars available to a wider audience with the Model X seven-seater crossover concept that will lead to a production model within the next couple of years.

Understandably, in order to survive, Tesla will need to expand its range in other segments as well, and here's where an old acquaintance of CarScoop comes into the picture.

Dejan Hristov is an independent designer whom we came to know from his study for a Bugatti Super Sedan. This time, Hristov is proposing a smaller Tesla vehicle that he named the Model C.

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