Fisker, meanwhile, is taking a more modest approach.  It is claiming that its slick Karma luxury plug-in hybrid gets 3.5 liters per 100 kilometers (equivalent to 67.2 mpg U.S.).  Fisker reports that the Karma also features low emissions -- a mere 83 grams per kilometer.  Fisker was careful to back these claims, stating that it adhered to the J2841 emissions testing methodology developed by the Society of Automotive Engineers.

Fisker CEO Henrik Fisker brags, "The Fisker Karma is the future of driving. It proves we can drive environmentally responsible cars without sacrificing the emotional things that made us fall in love with cars in the first place."

The Karma is anticipated to debut later this year at a price tag of approximately $87,000.  This places it in direct competition with the Tesla Roadster, but the sticker price places it in less of a direct competition with the Leaf and Chevy Volt.

The vehicle features a top speed of 125 mph and can reach 60 mph (from a stop) in 5.8 seconds.  It sports a 2.0 l Turbocharged Ecotec VVT engine, along with two electric motors for 403 total horsepower.  It has a 50 mile all-electric range.  A solar roof option is offered for both recharging the battery pack and offering climate control, similar to the Prius.  The roof panel is estimated to provide up to half a kilowatt-hour per day.

Fisker hopes to sell 15,000 of the vehicles a year.  If it can sustain this sales pace, it will save 248 million gallons of gasoline by 2016, it estimates.  Whether it can meet this objective or not, it's refreshing to see one company taking a more measured approach to fuel economy claims.