2010 Fisker Karma at 2009 Detroit Auto Show

• Competes with: Every cool-looking exotic car on the market, plus some higher-priced, less-cool-and-exotic ones
• Looks like: An Italian sports car … with four doors and a plug-in hybrid drivetrain
• Drivetrain: Two 201-hp electric motors powered by a lithium-ion battery and generator (generator driven by a GM Ecotec 265-hp, turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder) and no transmission; all-wheel drive
• Hits dealerships: End of 2009

Fisker Automotive took last year’s Detroit auto show by surprise with a plug-in hybrid concept called the Karma. The surprise wasn’t that it was a plug-in — a technology that a year later still hasn’t hit the market from any manufacturer — it was the fact that the Karma looked like an Italian supercar, and that it had four doors yet still looked stunning. Now, the Irvine, Calif.-based company has rolled out its 2010 production version of the Karma. Last year’s concept was actually more of a prototype, so the real thing looks just as stunning.

The Karma is basically a battery-powered electric car with an onboard range-extending generator, not unlike Chevrolet’s much-anticipated Volt. It’s technically also a series hybrid because the generator’s added power can increase the car’s speed when combined with the juice from the battery. Running on battery alone — called Stealth mode — the car can reach 95 mph. In Sport mode, with the gas engine generating electricity, the top speed is 125 mph (electronically limited from a possible 150 mph, according to Fisker). Regardless of mode, the 0-60 time is 5.8 seconds. The two motors drive all four wheels, and safety features like antilock brakes and an electronic stability system are standard.

The car’s range on battery power is 50 miles. A full charge can take as little as eight to 10 hours with 240 volts (the amount some electric ovens, dryers and furnaces use), or in excess of 15 hours on a 110-volt household current. The Karma’s large roof is a solar panel that helps hold a charge when the car is parked outside. Fisker says it’s even good for four to five miles of range per week — if it’s sunny all day, every day.

After exploring options stateside, Fisker decided to hand Karma manufacturing duties to Valmet Automotive of Finland. The company hopes to sell 15,000 of the cars per year. Fisker has pre-sold more than 1,000 since the prototype’s debut last year, with another surge expected with this unveiling. Even if it weren’t a cutting-edge hybrid, an exotic sports car like the Karma would be a bargain at $87,900. With the government tax credit, it’s $80,400.

More photos below.