The Fisker Karma is a luxury plug-in range-extended electric sports sedan produced by Fisker Automotive in 2012. The cars were manufactured at Valmet Automotive in Finland.
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rated the Karma's combined city/highway fuel economy at equivalent (MPG-e) in all-electric mode, and at in gasoline-only mode. EPA's official all-electric range is . Due to the very small cabin interior volume, the EPA rated the Fisker Karma as a subcompact car.
The first deliveries took place in the U.S. in late July 2011, and deliveries to retail customers began in November 2011. Pricing in the U.S. started at for the base model (EcoStandard), US$110,000 for the intermediate EcoSport model and for the top model (the "Animal Free" EcoChic). Around 1,800 units were delivered in North America and Europe through December 2012. The U.S. was the leading market, with about 1,600 units sold.
Production was suspended in November 2012 when the sole battery supplier to Fisker Automotive, A123 Systems, filed for bankruptcy following two battery recalls. Fisker Automotive was unable to carry on production of the Fisker Karma in the absence of its sole battery supplier, with about 2,450 Karmas built since 2011.
After furloughing its US workers in late March 2013, Fisker Automotive filed for bankruptcy in November 2013, after the United States Department of Energy auctioned its debt and sold it to Hybrid Technology LLC for .
Following the sale of some of the assets of the company, the designs, rights to a plug-hybrid powertrain and a manufacturing facility in Delaware to the Chinese company Wanxiang, the new owners re-commenced production in September 2016 under the brand name Karma Automotive.
After several announcements by the Wanxiang Group to reintroduce an upgraded version of the Fisker Karma, the car was renamed the Karma Revero and Karma Automotive started taking orders in September 2016.
History
The Fisker Karma was revealed at the 2008 North American International Auto Show in Detroit. It was the first car from Fisker Automotive, a then new auto maker based in Anaheim, California, founded on September 5, 2007.
Production began in July 2011, and the first two deliveries took place in the United States on July 26, 2011. In October 2011 the first Karma delivered in the UK was auctioned to benefit Pratham UK and raised a bid of (around ). At the 2009 Detroit Auto Show, Fisker showed a short wheelbase convertible version called Fisker Sunset, with the intent of series production. At the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show, Fisker showed a Sports Wagon version of the Karma called the Fisker Surf. Aside from the modified rear end, the Surf also received a three-dimensional honeycomb grille. According to Fisker this bodystyle had been planned from the beginning of design work on the Karma. In August 2012 Fisker announced that the Sunset and the Surf were both on hold, as the company had decided to focus on the planned mid-sized Atlantic sedan.
Following the sale to Chinese company Wanxiang of assets, designs, rights to a plug-hybrid powertrain, and a manufacturing facility in Delaware, the new owners in September 2016 commenced production under the name Karma Automotive. After several announcements by Wanxiang Group that they would reintroduce an upgraded version of the Fisker Karma, it was renamed the Karma Revero and .
Specifications
The Karma is a range-extended electric vehicle or series hybrid driven by a pair of electric motors that receive power from a 20.1 kWh lithium ion battery supplied by A123 Systems and/or an engine powered generator. The battery pack runs down the center of the car, between the pairs of left-hand and right-hand seats, preventing a rear bench and seating four rather than five passengers. Once the battery is depleted, or when the driver activates the "Sport" paddle on the steering wheel, the front-mounted 260-hp, 2.0-liter Ecotec four-cylinder direct-injection turbocharged gasoline engine powers a generator that sends electricity directly to the drive motors. The engine is sourced from General Motors. The battery can also be charged from the grid, making the vehicle a type of plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV).
The Karma's engine is mated with a generator to provide an electrical connection to the motors and also recharge the batteries, and as such the electric motors are the only mechanical driving force connected to the wheels. However, in all-electric mode, the Karma is around half as efficient as the Chevrolet Volt. The Karma's curb weight is .