Tesla seeks legal karma from Fisker

Electric-car maker Tesla Motors has filed suit against competitor, Fisker Coachbuild, claiming the company stole trade secrets and copied design ideas.

Fisker Karma. Or is it the Tesla Whitestar?

The lawsuit was filed Monday in San Mateo County Superior Court in California. Tesla hired Henrik Fisker, CEO of car design firm Fisker Coachbuild, last year to design the body of its forthcoming all-electric WhiteStar sedan. According to a New York Times article, Tesla alleges in the suit that Fisker and Fisker Coachbuild Chief Operating Officer Bernhard Koehler accepted the contract "to gain access to confidential design information and trade secrets, then announced a competing vehicle".

Last year, Tesla said it plans to come out with WhiteStar, an all-electric passenger sedan, in late 2009 or 2010. At the time, it said the price would range from US$50,000 to US$70,000.

The company, based in San Carlos, California, said in February that it plans to produce two types of its WhiteStar sedan -- one being completely battery-powered, the other being a so-called range-extended vehicle, or REV, wherein a small petrol motor recharges the battery as the car is driven.

Fisker, who last fall started Fisker Automotive -- a green-leaning sports car company -- announced at this year's Detroit Motor Show an REV named Karma.

Tesla said it decided to scrap Fisker's design for the WhiteStar and began working on a new design when it found out he was going to be a competitor, according to the Times article.

Last month, Tesla began commercial production of its all-electric Tesla Roadster, which costs US$98,000. The company has dealerships in Los Angeles and Northern California. Production of the Roadster had been delayed because of problems with the car's transmission, among other components. The company also had a change in top management last year.