The VLF Destino is a proposed
automobile
A car or automobile is a motor vehicle with Wheel, wheels. Most definitions of ''cars'' say that they run primarily on roads, Car seat, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport private transport#Personal transport, pe ...
from American car company
VLF Automotive
VLF Automotive is a small American-based automotive company formed in January 2016. It was founded as VL Automotive in 2012 by Bob Lutz and Gilbert Villarreal, then renamed after Henrik Fisker joined the company.
Company history
The company wa ...
. The Destino is a large four-door
sedan and was first shown to the public at the
North American International Auto Show
The North American International Auto Show (NAIAS), also known as the Detroit Auto Show as of 2022 and prior to NAIAS, is an annual auto show held in Detroit, Michigan, U.S., at Huntington Place. The show was held in January from 1989 to 2019. ...
in January 2013 as the VL Destino, and subsequently the WM Destino, before being named VLF Destino in January 2016. Sales were expected to commence in 2014, but the expected start of sales was later pushed back to 2016.
History
The Destino is based on the
Fisker Karma
The Fisker Karma is a luxury plug-in range-extended electric sports sedan produced by Fisker Automotive in 2012. The cars were manufactured at Valmet Automotive in Finland.
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rated th ...
which ceased production in 2012. VL had obtained twenty Karma "
gliders" from
Fisker Automotive
Fisker Automotive was an American company known for producing the Fisker Karma, which was one of the world's first production luxury plug-in hybrid electric vehicles. It debuted at the 2008 North American International Auto Show, and first de ...
, and reported 100 orders by May 2013. Sales of the Destino were originally scheduled to commence in the second half of 2013, but the start was pushed back to 2014, due to the ongoing restructuring of Fisker.
The Destino retains the Karma interior and most exterior panels, but removes the Karma's electric motor and battery system, and installs a
General Motors
The General Motors Company (GM) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturing company headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, United States. It is the largest automaker in the United States and ...
LS9 6.2-litre V-8 gasoline engine producing 638 hp (476 kW; 647 PS) and 604 lbf·ft (819 N·m) of torque fitted with a 6-speed
automatic transmission
An automatic transmission (sometimes abbreviated to auto or AT) is a multi-speed transmission used in internal combustion engine-based motor vehicles that does not require any input from the driver to change forward gears under normal driving c ...
.
The main alterations to the exterior are to the front grille design and rear bumper and trunk lid.
In May 2014 VL merged with
WM GreenTech Automotive, and resulted in the car being renamed WM Destino by its new owners.
In January 2016, the car was renamed as the VLF Destino V8, to mark the creation of the new company
VLF Automotive
VLF Automotive is a small American-based automotive company formed in January 2016. It was founded as VL Automotive in 2012 by Bob Lutz and Gilbert Villarreal, then renamed after Henrik Fisker joined the company.
Company history
The company wa ...
.
It is planned that the cars will be built in
Auburn Hills
Auburn Hills is a city in Oakland County, Michigan, Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 21,412 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census. Before incorporating as a city in 1983, the area was part of the now-defunct ...
in Michigan.
The manufacturer proposes a sale price of 200,000.
Technical
Unlike the discontinued hybrid
Fisker Karma
The Fisker Karma is a luxury plug-in range-extended electric sports sedan produced by Fisker Automotive in 2012. The cars were manufactured at Valmet Automotive in Finland.
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rated th ...
, the Destino is powered by a traditional gasoline engine from GM manufactured to power Chevrolets and Cadillacs. The 6.2-litre (6162 cc) V8 supercharged LS9 engine is
front mid-mounted and powers the rear wheels. Producing 638 hp at 6,500 rpm and torque of 604 lb-ft (819 Nm) at 3,800 rpm, the Destino is claimed to accelerate 0-60 mph in 3.9 seconds and reach a maximum speed of 200 mph.
References
External links
*
WM Destino Specification{{Henrik Fisker
Luxury vehicles
Sedans
Cars introduced in 2016
Henrik Fisker