In the automotive industry, “delivery” has long been the ultimate metric of success. If you can build a complex machine at scale and get it into a customer’s driveway, you’ve won. Or so we thought.
The Fisker Ocean One achieved what many considered impossible: it launched largely on time, bypassing the “production hell” that plagued the Tesla Model 3 for years and the multi-year delays of the Cybertruck. Yet, despite shipping a mechanically sound, aesthetically stunning vehicle, Fisker fell victim to a new kind of failure: the digital guillotine of social media.
Delivering the Hardware, Failing the Software
Mechanically, the Fisker Ocean was a feat of engineering. With a world-class chassis built by Magna Steyr, a 360-mile EPA range battery life, 458-hp battery performance, and innovative features like “California Mode” and “Hollywood Mode. “it was destined to be a high-quality SUV unlike anything on the market.
However, in 2024, a car is no longer just a vehicle; it is a mobile software platform. Even Burkhard Hunke, CTO of Fisker calls it the “smart-phonization” of cars. Henrik Fisker himself states, “One of the challenges will be to continue updating the car software for the next 10-12 years.” And this what came to light in the production release of the car. While Tesla’s delays were often physical (tent-based assembly lines and battery shortages), Fisker’s “on-time” delivery came at a hidden cost: unfinished firmware.
When high-profile tech influencers like Marques Brownlee (MKBHD) got behind the wheel, they didn’t critique the suspension or the motor. As a matter of fact, in his video, he comments that the car had one of the most comfortable seat feel from a car. He liked the design, exterior and interior, and even though he quipped about minor design ideas like the reverse, duo-fold sun-visor, he piled it on when if came to the software. He critiqued the digital experience:
- Key fobs that required multiple presses to unlock.
- Infotainment screens that lagged or crashed.
- Missing software features like Hill Hold and Adaptive Cruise Control.
The “MKBHD Effect” and the Death of Nuance
Social media rewards binary opinions. A car is either a “Tesla Killer” or “the worst car ever reviewed.” When MKBHD released his scathing review titled “This is the Worst Car I’ve Ever Reviewed,” the narrative was set in stone. The video went viral, with over 5 million views to date. I did some research, and then this started to bug me.
- Yes, this was the worse car he ever reviewed. At that time, he had reviewed:
- Rolls Royce Spectre – RR’s EV car costing $400,000, and only 280 mile range
- BMW i7 – BMW’s headlining luxury leader with a flip down video screen in the rear seat
- Hummer EV – He didn’t understand why the Hummer would have a 220v outlet in the rear. Apparently, he doesn’t have a 220 outlet in his appartment
- Hyundai Ionic 5 – Solid performing EV with years of experience
- KIA EV6 – sister of the Hyundai
- Several Teslas
- and that’s it!
So this guy wasn’t a car reviewer. He has been reviewing video and computers for years, and just started reviewing cars in the last six months. So legally, yes this was the worse car he’s reviewed.
But as I watched, and re-watched his review, what was wrong with the car? A key fob that required multiple pushes? So? That happens all the time. It still opened! Laggy video? What standard is there for auto video? And the lag? It was when you rotate the video screen into Hollywood Mode, allowing you to watch videos in full wide screen of the 17″ monitor. Pressing the button takes 5 seconds to rotate the screen and start the video menu. 5 seconds! Seconds! What’s laggy about that? And as if that would not speed up in future releases. Plus, it’s a safe feature. The Hollywood Mode only activates when the car is in Park.
But yes the car did not have Hill Hold. But it did 4 months later. So there. And Adaptive Cruise Control? Well, yeah, that’s a big one. It did not release with that. But the buttons and LIDAR hardware are there, so I’m sure it’s just a matter of tuning the software to allow activation. Maybe it would have taken another 6 months to realize had they stayed in business. But unfortunately, it was too little, too late.
The video had millions of views, overshadowing years of positive engineering press. And then other YouTubers jumped on the bandwagon, no doubt “influenced” to do so. Saying things like, “You may have heard about this ‘Worse car ever video, well, I’m going to look at this car now and tell you the truth.” And then they regurgitated everything Marques said. With even less detail and experience. The negative reviews on YouTube triggered a wave of “cancellation” posts on Reddit and TikTok from reservation holders who hadn’t even seen the car yet. Stock prices cratered as the public perception shifted from “scrappy startup” to “unfinished product.” The company crashed, literally ‘driven out of business’.
But I kept loving the car, and hating the reviews. I still had 5 months left on the lease, so I started looking for my BMW GT550. I missed the room, the power and the luxury of my first GT, and long for the days to return. Let’s see what the summer brings.