One of the top automotive journalists does a classy thing at the end of the year, although it was not great news for Fisker Automotive, the company whose plans to build a car in Delaware remain up in the air.
Taking a page from the late columnist William Safire, Dan Neil of the Wall Street Journal writes a mea culpa column outlining what he sees as a couple of mistakes in car reviews.
Neil says he was too easy on the Fisker Karma. He says he was unhappy about Fisker being accused of using federal money to build the Karma in Finland and overlooked some of the shortcomings of the luxury sedan. The Karma has been plagued by reports of quality issues. More recently, the company has been looking for a partners as it looks for ways to raise more money and reduce costs. The federal government still has not released the rest of the federal loan that would clear the way for the new mid-sized Fisker Atlantic.
Neil says his enthusiasm over the turnaround at Chrysler also clouded his review of the new Dodge Dart.
The compact has its good points, but also has shortcomings when it comes to the performance of its engine, Neil says.
Click here for a link to the column:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323976104578199783704074180.html?mod=googlenews_wsj
