Good, bad Karma

5/27/2009 5:50 PM EDT

One of the latest entries is Fisker Automotive with its high-end Karma plug-in hybrid. The Karma is built around Fisker's Q-Drive hybrid technology. The company claims a 50-mile range for the electric car. A gas engine charges a lithium-ion battery.

Fisker also is claiming 100-MPG fuel economy.

According to the company (Irvine, Calif.), the Q-Drive configuration includes a small gasoline engine that turns a generator, which charges the Karma's lithium-ion battery. The battery powers an electric motor that drives the rear wheels.

See other Karma specifications here.

Some observers are calling the four-door Karma sedan a "Tesla killer," a reference to the other high-end U.S. electric car developed in Silicon Valley. (Daimler recently acquired a 10 percent equity stake in Tesla Motors.)

Fisker says a production version of the Karma will be delivered in 2010. Earlier versions were priced between about $80,000 and $87,900, according to automotive industry reports.

Karma has plenty of cachet. What's not clear is who, beyond collectors and the wealthy, will buy this car.