KARMA DOGMA; Fisker's plug-in-hybrid luxury sports sedan.(NEWS)

The Fisker Karma concept car wowed the North American International Auto Show in 2008, and it reappears this year in production form. Assembly of the $87,900 luxury sports sedan doesn't begin until late this year, but the car at the "09 Detroit show represents what buyers will get.

The upper grille is slightly larger than the concept's toward the outer corners, the lower air intake is larger to allow more airflow, and a diffuser below the rear bumper is integrated with a cooling cover for the electric drivetrain. The exhaust pipe from the internal-combustion engine under the front hood is routed directly out behind the front wheels. A small, functional side vent releases hot air when that engine runs.

We haven't yet seen the final interior. Fisker promises that it's special. The design is Fisker's own, executed by Magna International.

The structure is an all-aluminum spaceframe made in cooperation with Norsk Hydro, a Fortune 500 firm based in Norway that also is involved in building a new aluminum production facility in the nation of Qatar, a major Fisker investor. Exterior panels are a mix of aluminum and composite elements.

The Karma is a series hybrid with plug-in charging ability. That means that, as will be the case for the Chevrolet Volt, its gasoline engine never drives the wheels directly. Instead, it's coupled to a generator that provides electricity to charge the batteries and power the electric drive motors at the rear. There are two of the latter, 150 kilowatts each, for the equivalent of 408 hp. Peak torque, as in all electric motors, is produced at 0 rpm, and the Karma can deliver 959 lb-ft to the differential input shaft.

Fisker recently chose the GM Ecotec four-cylinder as its power generator, opting for the turbocharged, direct-injection, 2.0-liter version that makes 260 hp, which debuted last year in the Saturn Sky Red Line. Early reports that Fisker would use the same 1.4-liter Ecotec as the Volt were incorrect. "We needed more power because we have a larger, heavier car, and we want true sporting performance, explains Henrik Fisker.

Batteries are from Advanced Lithium Power, of Vancouver, British Columbia, partly owned by Fisker Automotive partner Quantum Technologies. The battery pack, housed in the center tunnel of the car, can store 22.6 kilowatt-hours of electricity and deliver peak electric power of 200 kilowatts throughout the charge-depleting range of operation.