Irvine-based Fisker Automotive Inc., a maker of hybrid electric sports cars, has raised $85 million in its fourth round of venture funding, the company said.
This round is its largest to date, the company said. It now has raised $179 million in total.
New York-based Eco-Drive (Capital) Partners LLC and Kleiner Perkins Caufield and Byers, Silicon Valley’s premier venture capital firm, provided funding for the round.
Other Fisker backers include Palo Alto-based Palo Alto Investors and the Persian Gulf’s Al Ghaffara Investment Co.
The automaker is developing an upscale sedan, the Karma, and a sports car, the Sunset, which run off a combination electric and rechargeable battery engine developed with Irvine-based Quantum Fuel Systems Technologies Worldwide Inc.
The company has 32 dealers signed on to sell its Karma sedan across the U.S. The cars are set to sell for $88,000 to $120,000 and should be out in 2010.
Dealers include Irvine-based Shelly Automotive Group, Sullivan Automotive Group in Beverly Hills and Oregon-based Ron Tonkin Family of Dealerships.
