Can the Chinese rescue Fisker?

Fisker Automotive is aggressively courting Chinese automakers to bail it out of its financial problems.

Executives with knowledge of the discussions told Autoblog that Fisker representatives have made recent trips to China to discuss deals that include capital investment and outright acquisition scenarios. Those discussions are continuing this week at the Detroit Auto Show. Reuters first reported discussions between Fisker and Chinese companies.

While Fisker was once favored by many auto industry analysts and executives to get the better of rival Tesla Motors in the premium/luxury EV market, Fisker has had several setbacks to its operations. The launch of the Fisker Karma, the company's first model, has been beset with problems, as is often the case with a new car company. Its lithium-ion battery supplier, A123 Systems, went bankrupt. And the company lost hundreds of cars at its Newark port when Hurricane Sandy devastated the New Jersey-New York coastline last fall.

In addition to needing investors, Fisker is also seeking strategic partners. Tesla, which had a successful initial public offering, for example, has both Toyota and Mercedes-Benz as investors and strategic partners.