Henrik Fisker left many industry insiders scratching their heads when he recently left the company he founded. He claimed to have had differences of opinion with the board of directors in regards to the future of the company, but now some new details have come to light. Fisker's financial and production problems over the past year are widely known, including the bankruptcy of its battery supplier A123 Systems and the destruction Hurricane Sandy inflicted upon 300 Karmas in Port Newark, New Jersey, estimated at around $30 million.

With US government loans running dry, it was rumored Fisker was seeking financial help from Chinese companies and this is what Henrik Fisker had a problem with. Sources are now claiming that interested Chinese investors demanded that Fisker drop its extended-range hybrid setup in favor of developing an all-new V12 internal-combustion engine for the Karma. The Chinese believe the future of EVs, hybrids and plug-ins is bleak but the car's design is something they can work with. In fact, former GM exec Bob Lutz already had a similar idea with his Destino, a slightly restyled Karma that's powered by the Corvette ZR1's 638 horsepower LS9 V8.

Henrik Fisker was obviously not in favor of this plan, hence his decision to leave his own company. The Chinese investors want something more powerful than Lutz's Destino and they figure a V12 should do the trick. Further rumors indicate, however, that Lutz himself could be brought into the picture to impart his years of experience in the industry to see the twelve-cylinder Karma reach production in a relatively short time-frame and drive the company into profitability as its new investors seek a quick return on investment.