Electric car too quiet? Just add noise!

Auto show season always brings a few surprises. One of the more impressive head-turners at the recent Geneva auto show was the Fisker Karma, and upcoming hybrid sports car out of California designed to compete with the equally compelling Tesla Roadster. 

In an Associated Press article, company founder Henrik Fisker said, "For me it's important to create a vehicle that's so sexy you've just got to have it, and later you find out that you can go 80 kilometers (50 miles) without using any gas." In Europe, he said, few people drive farther than that on a daily basis anyway.

The Aston Martin-like Karma will sell for $80,000 in the U.S., and Fisker claims the orders are pouring in. The car's battery can be recharged in three and a half hours, and the car even features solar panels.

But here's the catch: The car is silent in full electric mode, and who wants a silent sports car?

Fisker has decided to build in internal and external speakers so the driver can turn on the sound of a cool sports car to impress the ladies. "It's been enhanced and manipulated to make sure it sounds good," Fisker told the AP. "Part of any experience is the acoustic experience."