Fisker has been teasing us about its upcoming PEAR SUV for over a yr now, and we lastly bought an opportunity to see the upcoming small SUV within the flesh right now.

Fisker held its “Product Imaginative and prescient Day” right now in Huntington Seashore, California, and confirmed us prototypes of some upcoming automobiles, and we bought to see the PEAR within the flesh for the primary time.

The PEAR is Fisker’s second SUV, a little bit smaller than the Ocean, however meant to have a a lot decrease base value – $29,900, earlier than tax credit. This implies $22,400 after tax credit, which is about as low a value anybody can ask for from a small SUV nowadays.

And Fisker does plan to provide the automobile within the USA, on the outdated Lordstown plant, which can allow it to qualify for tax credit from the Inflation Discount Act.

To allow this low value, Fisker says that the PEAR can have 35% fewer components than the Ocean, making for less complicated manufacturing and subsequently decrease prices. It’s calling the platform “SLV1,” which stands for “Easy, Mild, Quantity.”

As one instance, Fisker CEO Henrik Fisker said that every one 4 seats will use the identical armrest design, so as an alternative of constructing 4 completely different components, Fisker solely must make one.

The PEAR can be manufactured from metal, which is cheaper (however heavier) than aluminum, and Fisker want to ultimately hit 1 million automobiles yearly – however that aspiration is clearly means off sooner or later.

Fisker nonetheless says that each automobile it makes will need to have a minimum of a number of distinctive options, and certainly one of PEAR’s highlights is its distinctive “Houdini door.”

That is the corporate’s title for its rear hatch which vanishes into the automotive physique, leaving a giant opening that gained’t swing out and hit something or trigger you to bonk your head on it. You may see it in motion in this portion of Fisker’s video (timestamped at 1:03:20).

Along with rear storage, the PEAR can have a entrance drawer-like storage space, which Fisker is making an attempt to name a “froot,” a portmanteau of entrance + boot, and which everybody else is simply going to name a frunk anyway. You’re too late on that one, Fisker.

However it’s completely different than numerous frunks we’ve seen – as an alternative of being below the hood, it slides out from behind the entrance grille space, probably offering a flatter area than most frunks do. Fisker stated that it was insulated, and thus might be used for transporting scorching or chilly objects – although we didn’t hear whether or not it has its personal HVAC. We didn’t get to see it in motion, however you may see a glimpse of it in this a part of Fisker’s video (timestamp 1:01:03).

The inside of the PEAR we noticed right now is nothing like preliminary inside photographs, with a way more spartan really feel to it. After all, that is nonetheless a prototype (which, as we overheard on the occasion, was completed this morning), so nothing is remaining, however we might think about {that a} spartan inside is perhaps essential to get a value below $30k.

And admittedly, from what we noticed, it regarded fairly cool. It gave off Honda Aspect vibes, a automobile that was well-known for having a easy and usable inside that you simply didn’t thoughts getting a little bit soiled, a characteristic which homeowners actually favored. Extra centered on utilitarianism than cushiness.

However Fisker additionally needed to spotlight simply how a lot inside area the PEAR has. It’ll have each 5- and 6-seat choices, with the 6-seat possibility coming with a bench seat within the entrance. To reveal the PEAR’s capability, Fisker had 6 staff pile out of the automotive at first of the presentation:

Fisker identified that you simply shouldn’t want an enormous, 3-row SUV to switch 6 folks round, together with all of the concomitant environmental impacts thereof (a message with which we wholeheartedly agree).

The PEAR can have a characteristic Fisker calls “Lounge mode,” which can reconfigure the seats (together with the entrance seats) to create a flat area throughout the automotive for lounging round, and which can be giant sufficient to put down in. Ought to be nice for automotive tenting.

And all of that is supposedly coming in 2025. Between this automotive, the Alaska, and the Ronin, Fisker will go from having one automotive which simply began delivery in 2023, to 4 vehicles in simply two years time. Fairly a giant ask, significantly from an organization with 1,000 staff, so we wouldn’t be stunned if we see some delays.

However if you wish to get in line for whichever yr the PEAR comes, reservations are open now on Fisker’s web site, at $250 a pop.

Electrek’s Take

As we said within the Take for the Fisker Alaska, these guarantees all appear nice, however we should take into account that they could appear too nice.

We’d love a small primary utilitarian EV at an inexpensive value made in quantity, and the earlier it comes out the higher. However the mixture of constructing this automotive, at this value, and this quickly, from a small firm, that’s not simply specializing in one new automobile program however three new automobile applications, and making an attempt to scale a present automobile program… properly, that’s lots to chunk off.

However as for the PEAR itself, in a yr the place everybody appears to be saying gigantic land yachts, we’re joyful to see a small, sensible, well-priced electrical automobile within the combine. Now let’s hope it makes it to manufacturing with most of those guarantees intact (or a minimum of some? please?)