The automaker Fisker is on the verge of bankruptcy: founded in California in 2016 by the Danish Henrik Fisker, has on the list only one model, the Electric SUV called Ocean (This)which could also be his first and last car.
For at least 3 weeks, online and on social networks there has been a lot of talk about the Ocean after the car was defined as “the worst I’ve tried” by YouTuber MKBHD. After the publication of the video, the company’s share value dropped significantly, so much so that on March 25th the New York Stock Exchange decided on the so-called delisting due to excessive decline. The two things are probably related, but the company had problems before that Marques Brownlee talked about it the way he talked about it.
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youtube: MKBHD e la Fisker Ocean
Marques Brownlee’s (double) effort
Definitely the video by MKBHD, undoubtedly the most important YouTuber in the world of technology (ha almost 20 million total members on two different channels), did not help her: the review, which lasts about twenty minutes, has collected over 5 million views and is widely the most viewed on Auto Focus, which is among other things the minor channel of MKBHD. It is likely that the effects would have been even more disruptive if the evidence had been published on the YouTuber’s main channel.
In the video, Brownlee highlighted above all software-related problems management of the Ocean, such as warning lights that came on several times for no reason, difficulty in opening the doors, doubts about the use of the solar panel roof and above all doubts about the power delivery, with consequences also on the driving experience . All for a car that initially cost 50-60 thousand dollars. It must be said (and indeed MKBHD he says it clearly in the video) that the sample he tested had an old version of the operating system, which would then be updated in the following weeks. The YouTuber did what he usually does, even with smartphones: he tested the product for how it is and how it is sold and delivered to customers, not for what it could have become with any updates. Brownlee then tried again the Ocean, this time updated (video is here)confirming however that “it is the worst car I have tried”.
As was predictable, because the treatment was the same as that reserved for other products tried in his almost twenty-year career, those who saw the video essentially agreed with him: “If a machine is publicly put up for sale, it should be reviewed in its current state – many commented – Because they delivered it to customers so full of bugs and in those conditions?”. People agreed with MKBHD even more after Fisker’s intervention, which was not long in coming and resulted in an embarrassing phone call. Which obviously ended up on YouTube.
tiktok: no phone call from Fisker
Fisker’s phone call: “I should pull your nails out”
YouTubers who deal with cars rarely have direct relationships with car manufacturers and more often borrow cars from dealerships or customers (this tends to be the case also for the well-known Doug DeMuro): Brownlee was allegedly given the Ocean for testing by a certain George Saliba, the owner of a Mitsubishi dealership in New Jersey. Which was a few days after the video was published contacted by a Fisker executive.
During the phone call, which was videotaped without the caller’s knowledge and was posted first on TikTok, where it garnered nearly 6.5 million views, and then on YouTube, the manager of the automaker is heard asking (jokingly, probably) if “I can pull your nails out as part of this inquisition” and then inquire about the vehicle chassis number, the owner, MKBHD and his relationship with Saliba. Next, the company employee promises to “send someone to take care of the problems of the machine”, also through the expected software update, which “will solve many problems but not all, I’ll be honest: there are still bugs and we have more work to do. But this will significantly improve the car.”
The car was actually then updated, as well as Brownlee was in turn contacted by Fisker and received another copy of Ocean to review, which however annoyed people more than reassured them: “Is this home treatment for all customers or is it reserved only for VIPs and YouTubers?”, many commented. It’s likely the latter, given that Fisker is now sinking and would even struggle to release them OTA updates for his cars. Imagine doing this type of assistance.
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Fisker on the brink of bankruptcy
As it was said at the beginning, the company had problems even before the MKBHD video, which then grew further after the publication of the test. Last March 14, after very difficult days on the stock exchange, Fisker stock fell 51.41% after (according to an article in the Wall Street Journal), the company hired consultants to prepare for a possible bankruptcy filing.
Not even a week later, the company announced the suspension of car production for at least 6 weeks and an attempt to raise $150 million in funding to overcome a liquidity crisis. The next step was precisely at the end of March: between the 25th and 26th of the month the failure of the talks of Fisker with another “big car manufacturer” (Nissan, probably) for a potential agreement that would have saved it and the New York Stock Exchange decided to delist, that is, to remove the title from its lists.
To date, while the retail price of the Ocean has been practically halved and the development of the Pear, which was supposed to be the next model of the Californian manufacturer, was suspended, there is no certainty about Fisker’s survival. Which could be the first car company ruined by a YouTuber.
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– 2024-04-13 16:54:33
