{"id":153196,"date":"2020-09-22T16:00:06","date_gmt":"2020-09-22T20:00:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thedetroitbureau.com\/?p=153196"},"modified":"2020-09-22T16:00:06","modified_gmt":"2020-09-22T20:00:06","slug":"karma-teases-first-all-electric-model","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/2020\/09\/karma-teases-first-all-electric-model\/","title":{"rendered":"Karma Teases First All-Electric Model"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>
Karma plans to launch the first in its GS Series of all-electric sedans next year.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

When it comes to going “all-electric,” it seems there is no such thing as instant Karma.<\/p>\n

The company, which emerged from the assets of the old Fisker Automotive, currently markets the sporty Revero plug-in hybrid \u2013 what was originally known as the Fisker Karma. It has been promising to add an all-electric model for quite some time and now has teased its first offering. But what it says will be its \u201cfirst-ever battery-electric luxury sedan\u201d won\u2019t make it into production until sometime next year.<\/p>\n

This is the first teaser image the California-based \u2013 albeit Chinese-owned \u2013 Karma has released. Details are scarce but it says the first model will be part of a \u201cnew family of sedans to wear the GS badge.\u201d<\/p>\n

(Karma execs say Revero GTE will go on sale next April.)<\/strong><\/span><\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

Cost reductions, the streamlining of Karma\u2019s supply chain, and new, \u201cstandardized production methods,\u201d said Lance Zhou, Karma\u2019s CEO, \u201callowed for a new, more attainable pricing structure for the GS line-up allowing for higher market penetration, opening up the market to a larger group of entry level luxury buyers.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
The Karma GS Series will ride on the carmaker’s new skateboard-style E-Flex platform.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

What is now called Karma Automotive debuted a decade ago as Fisker Automotive, an ambitious project launched by long-time Danish designer Henrik Fisker, and produced a plug-in hybrid called the Karma. Everything seemed to go wrong for the star-crossed venture that repeatedly struggled to find cash and, at one point, even saw newly produced cars stored at a port near New York City destroyed by flooding during Superstorm Sandy.<\/p>\n

The company was forced into Chapter 7 insolvency, its assets snapped by a Chinese auto parts manufacturer, the Wanxiang Group, which also purchased the bankrupt battery producer A123.<\/p>\n

Once relaunched in 2014, the operations were renamed Karma Automotive and began producing a slightly updated version the original vehicle, newly redubbed the Revero.<\/p>\n

(Karma unveils new autonomous platform.)<\/strong><\/em><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
The SC2 is one of two all-electric concepts from Karma.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It\u2019s gotten some updates, most notably dropping its old General Motors-sourced \u201crange extender\u201d gas engine for one supplied by BMW. And new variants, such as the Revero GT, have been added.<\/p>\n

But Karma has been teasing for several years plans to migrate to all-electric technology \u2013 among other things revealing the all-electric Karma SC1 Vision Concept in Shanghai early in 2019, following it up with a second prototype, the SC2, later in the year.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s difficult to tell from this modest teaser image exactly how much the production GS Series will have in common with those show cars.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Right now, Karma produces various versions of the Revero, a plug-in hybrid originally known as the Fisker Karma.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

What we do know, according to Karma, is that the all-electric sedan will ride on the \u201cracing-inspired E-Flex platform suitable for both road and track day applications.\u201d<\/p>\n

Like so many other EV startups, Karma is shifting gears, so to speak, putting as much emphasis on performance as energy efficiency. The all-wheel-drive platform \u2013 which would mean at least two motors, one on each axle \u2013 \u201caims to achieve 1,100 hp,\u201d according to Karma, and an astounding 10,500 pound-feet of torque at the wheels, as well as electronic torque vectoring.<\/p>\n

As for range, the company says it will be \u201cup to 400 miles,\u201d the GS offering battery packs \u201cup to 120 kWh of energy capacity.\u201d That\u2019s 16 more kilowatt-hours than in the longest-range, 402-mile Tesla Model S, and 10 kWh more than what will be in the 530-mile Lucid Air.<\/p>\n

(Double dose of Karma \u2014 L.A. debuts for Revero GTS and SC2 Concept.)<\/strong><\/em><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

For those who like the way things sound, Karma is now taking $100 \u201cpre-reservation\u201d orders. The deposit, according to the company, is fully refundable and will ensure a place in line once the new model actually goes on sale.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Karma Automotive has been threatening to go “all-electric” for a while, and now is making good on the promise \u2014 even taking $100 deposits on its new GS Series EVs. Get details at TheDetroitBureau.com.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":153197,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[7,8,5,12,9],"tags":[],"make":[70],"post-state":[],"category_old":[118,150,151,123,133,319,155,299,154,254,132,125,139,148,291,278,288],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/153196"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=153196"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/153196\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/153197"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=153196"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=153196"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=153196"},{"taxonomy":"make","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/make?post=153196"},{"taxonomy":"post-state","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/post-state?post=153196"},{"taxonomy":"category_old","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/category_old?post=153196"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}