The Fisker Karma PHEV sedan has been crowned ‘Luxury Car of the Year’ by BBC Top Gear magazine as well as ‘Car of the Year’ by Top Gear TV presenter James May.

The Fisker Karma PHEV sedan has been crowned ‘Luxury Car of the Year’ by BBC Top Gear magazine as well as ‘Car of the Year’ by Top Gear TV presenter James May. It’s an award that must taste mighty sweet, and not only because a major European mag and show are honoring a small American start-up company. Since Top Gear’s well-publicized row with a certain other American start-up, many may have thought of the show as a nest of snarky internal-combustion snobs who are scornful of electric vehicles.

Top Gear editor Charlie Turner seemed to have no electrophobia, saying, “cleverness abounds in the Fisker and adds to the air of intelligent luxury. It works well, it looks good and it must be a genuinely exciting thing to own. It’s the top-of-the-line spec that features no leather, just textiles and reclaimed wood. And it’s more convincing than it sounds, managing to look, feel and smell premium without any cow peel in it at all.”

Company co-founder and CEO Henrik Fisker was pleased as Punch: “It is fantastic news that the Karma has won two awards from Top Gear. We realize that we are at the beginning of our journey and awards like this remind us we are on the right road – building enticing green cars that people actually want to own. It’s particularly pleasing that this award recognizes the Karma as the world’s first luxury hybrid electric car. It’s a triumph that American engineers have designed and engineered this ground breaking car at our global Headquarters in Anaheim, CA and that there is now a new American car option that is bold, beautiful, smart, and environmentally responsible.”

Image: Fisker Automotive