The first Fisker Karma extended-range electric saloon will soon be delivered to its first UK customer, a premiership footballer.

The California-based company has also set up its first service outlet, but currently there are no UK dealers.

Barny Koehler, chief executive of Fisker's European business, a co-founder of the company along with Aston Martin DB9 and V8 Vantage designer Henrik Fisker, said that it was important to establish service outlets for the car first.

He said: "The cars are left-hand-drive only and in the short term we can handle sales from Europe but we are talking to a number of parties in the UK who are interested in establishing dealerships."

Fisker and Koehler established the all-new car company in 2007 and the Karma, a series hybrid with its 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine acting as a generator when the lithium-ion battery pack that drives a pair of rear-mounted electric motors runs out of charge.

The cars are made in Finland by contract assembler Valmet and Fisker Europe is based in Munich.

However production has halted while the carmaker awaits the sale of its battery supplier, A123 Systems, which has gone into bankruptcy.

CEO Tony Posawatz said the lack of batteries has halted assembly, but he should know the outcome of its bankruptcy sale by mid-December.

In January 2010 Fisker signed a "multi-year supply agreement" with A123 Systems for the lithium-ion batteries which power the Karma, in a last-minute switch from EnerDel.