Head of Wanxiang met with Del. officials

The head of the new Fisker Automotive's parent company was in the United States, including Delaware, last week on Fisker business, Automotive News is reporting.

Lu Guanqiu, chairman of Wanxiang, visited with government representatives in Delaware and Michigan, as well as Washington, where Lu met with Vice President Joe Biden and other government officials, the trade magazine reported. Lu said he hopes the second-generation Fisker car would be put into production within three years, but he was not prepared to say where.

Company officials have said they are evaluating whether the Delaware plant is suitable for production of Fisker automobiles. They have put the chances at 50-50.

In Delaware, Wanxiang owns the former General Motors plant, where Fisker was set to build its second-generation car, the Atlantic, before Fisker declared bankruptcy last year. Wanxiang purchased Fisker's assets out of bankruptcy this year at an auction. The reorganization plan of the bankrupt company is set to go before a judge in Wilmington on Monday morning.

In Michigan, Wanxiang owns A123 Systems, the battery supplier to Fisker, which Wanxiang also purchased out of bankruptcy.

Pin Ni, head of U.S. operations for Wanxiang, told the magazine: "Our goal is to fix all the issues and get the car back on the road, but this car has to be a good (car). It cannot be a car with problems … We want to make this car in the United States… This too is determined. But in terms of a detailed plan, we are still evaluating." Wanxiang is working to "de-bug" the Karma before it can be put into production, he said.