The car making waves at the Los Angeles Auto show is made by a company called Fisker, and rather aptly for a show taking place right on the California coastline, it’s called the Ocean.

If the Fisker name sounds familiar that’s because Henrik Fisker is best known for designing luxury cars like James Bond's BMW Z8, along with the Aston Martin DB9 and V8 Vantage. So it’s a bit of a surprise to see the Fisker name behind one of the most exciting, and potentially affordable, electric cars we’ve seen in a long time.

The Ocean. the first all-electric car from the Los Angeles based start-up has cool futuristic styling with narrow headlights and taillights and a boxy shape that means it look more like a hatchback than a traditional SUV. In an interview at the cars reveal in Los Angeles Fisker told us that it was important to him that his first all-electric car was fun to drive and promised "it will feel more like a sports car than an SUV".

Affordability was also crucial for Fisker and he confirmed to us that prices in the UK will start at £32,490 for the smaller battery model with its 250 mile range making it a more affordable package than the Tesla Model Y.

The Ocean will cost less than £35,000 for the entry level version

​It will be joined by a 340-mile range version, coming in at just under £49,000, which Fisker claims will offer the most range for the money of any SUV. A punchier four-wheel drive Ocean Extreme will top the range at £59,900, giving it a combined output of 302bhp and a range of over 350 miles.

It will pick up an 80 per cent charge in around 30 minutes from a DC charger and like Tesla will be capable of  250kW charging, whilst Tesla beating 350kW technology has also been mentioned as a possibility down the line.

In the US it can be leased on a flexible month by month deal for around £280, with deliveries due to start next year. UK buyers will get to see the car in a UK experience centre at Londons Westfield shopping centre and can order direct from Fisker while the company will operate distribution centres "where you can go out and pick up your car or you can get the car delivered to your home.” It will it also be available in the UK through subscription service Onto, who have placed an order for 700.

Sustainability is a key story with the Ocean, Fisker says it's been designed to be as sustainable as possible and is built in a carbon neutral factory in Austria. The car’s seamless seats are trimmed using recycled polyester fibres, and its interior carpets are made from recycled nylon, sourced from abandoned fishing nets. 

The Ocean’s roof also features a solar panel, which drip-feeds the SUV’s battery pack. The Ocean will also come with a setting called “California Mode,” which lowers the SUV’s side and rear windows. 

Fisker is known for his rivalry with Elon Musk, who got to the electric car market before him. But with the Ocean, which plays host to all the latest electric car technology thanks to its fast two year design period, Fisker could well be the brand that finally gives Tesla something to worry about.

"California Mode" drops all of the windows for maximum wind-in-the-hair