2024 Fisker Ronin EV will revive the four-door convertible, offer 1000km+ range

UPDATE, May 5, 6pm: New details and a new top-down teaser

In an email direct to Wheels Media contributor Georg Kacher, Henrik Fisker has confirmed the Fisker Ronin will form one of recent history's rarest body styles: a four-door convertible.

The company says it counts existing four-door luxury EVs as the Ronin's main rivals, with the unique selling point of an opening roof – while retaining good rear space and headroom – to be a significant selling point.

"I think we could capture a relative large market share in this segment above (US)$150k (AU$208,000)," Fisker says.

Where are all the four-door convertibles?

Four-door convertibles are uncommon largely because of the structural challenges involved, usually requiring significant reinforcement in the doors to limit body flex. Likewise, devising a roof that can cover a four-seat area and still fold away into a practical storage area presents a challenge of its own.

Historically it was a concept more easily achieved when a ladder-style chassis was common, and this is one reason the Jeep Wrangler and new Ford Bronco are able to offered in a convertible-like style – but even those retain significant structural work above the beltline, with the added benefit of providing rollover protection.

For four-door models of a more conventional convertible design, the 1961-69 Lincoln Continental Convertible stands out as a memorable design – although some may recall this was the vehicle in which John F Kennedy was fatally shot.

We may, however, be looking at the first page in a new chapter of the convertibles story.

As Fisker tells us, "there is no other four-door production convertible in the market. It’s a big challenge to create a four-door convertible, as it needs a unique innovative strong lower rocker structure to compensate for the lack of a B-pillar, to be able to sustain side impact."

The story to here

May 5, 11:30am: The 2024 Fisker Ronin has been previewed as the third model from the American electric vehicle (EV) manufacturer, and it’s already setting the bar high.

Founder and CEO Henrik Fisker says ‘Project Ronin’ – as it’s internally referred to – will be a grand tourer offering a greater driving range than any of its competitors.

"The aim is to achieve the world's longest range for a production EV, combined with extremely high levels of performance," Fisker said this week.

"Project Ronin will be a showcase for our internal engineering, powertrain, and software capabilities."

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Above: the initial roof-up image released earlier in the day

The ambitious claim means the company will need to exceed 1008km of driving range from a single charge, offered with the 2022 GAC Aion LX Plus.

Another Chinese manufacturer, Nio, is also promising more than 1000km of driving range when its ET5 sedan goes on sale in the coming months.

While China’s CLTC testing standards are considered to be more generous than Europe’s WLTP standard, Mercedes-Benz demonstrated driving 1000km in everyday traffic is possible with its EQXX concept.

Fisker says Project Ronin will carry four adults and their luggage over a long distance, with the car’s long range to be helped by lightweight materials and active aerodynamics.

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The company named the vehicle after the 1998 film Ronin starring Robert De Niro – known for its car chases featuring European sedans such as the Audi S8, Mercedes-Benz 450SEL 6.9, Peugeot 605, Citroen XM, and perhaps most famously, the BMW E34 M5.

The 2024 Fisker Ronin is expected to be revealed in August 2023, with production slated for the second half of 2024.