[Auto] Fisker PEAR gets a disappearing 'Houdini' boot and a high-performance variant

[El Máster Edwin]

Oh, and it starts at less than $30k as promised. And seats up to six people...

 

The Fisker PEAR is now ready to reserve. We knew from mutterings last year that the planned ‘agile urban EV’ would target a suspiciously affordable price point of $29,900 (£23,572). But that’s not the coolest thing.

What the first-look pictures didn't let on is that the boot of the PEAR disappears. Apparently, this urban-centric crossover – not quite a true SUV nor a larger city supermini – doesn’t want you to have the faff of opening the tailgate out in tight spots (or smashing your head on the way back down). So? The aptly-named ‘Houdini trunk’ rolls down and disappears somewhere under the vehicle.

Yeah, yeah... it does take a beat or two longer than it would to operate manually, but stay in the moment. There’s also a fancy front boot: Fisker calls a ‘froot’… on the PEAR! Oh, our giddy aunt. 

Gimmicks or genius features aside, the car looks pretty conventional from the outside. At least, judging the limited imagery. Fisker tells us it uses a new light steel body structure, minimising the number of parts by 35 per cent.

 

Inside, the optional 17in rotating screen couples with “Lounge Mode” where the seats fold flat to create additional space. Camping trip movie night, anyone? Use of recycled and bio-based materials aplenty pads out the brand’s sustainability smarts (Fisker has the noble goal of making the PEAR carbon-neutral by 2027). 

Bearing in mind that the brand’s hit the bullseye for that sub-$30k price tag, the PEAR can also cleverly seat six – if you option that. Three up front on a bench-style seat (the centre console is done away with) and three in the back. Whether that’s six full-sized humans is yet to be seen.

The PEAR is the second model for the start-up, following up the 440-mile Ocean SUV. Range-wise there’ll be a choice of two batteries, ready to deliver 198 miles or 348 miles respectively, according to WLTP estimates.

 

There’ll be rear- and all-wheel drive options on standard 20s or optional 22in wheels. And Fisker also tells us the PEAR Extreme will be a high-performance variant. Ooh, hello.

The PEAR is also the first to make use of the brand’s in-house ‘Fisker Blade’ suite, a computer platform designed for ‘software-defined’ vehicles ready to be used for two more forthcoming Fisker models.

 

Fisker says it 'will offer a completely new connected and digital customer experience for the era of software-defined vehicles, and the 5G/Wi-Fi6 wireless network turns the car into a ‘cloud-connected mini data center’. Meanwhile, production and deliveries will start in July 2025.

A real-life version will be showcased at next week’s motor show in Munich and our curiosity is most definitely piqued. Is yours?

 

Link: Click