Karma Automotive Returns with the Sultry Amaris Plug-in-Hybrid Coupe

Yahoo

20-03-2025

has unveiled its latest project, the Amaris coupe, which it aims to start building in the fourth quarter of 2026.
The Amaris shares its bones with the Gyesera and Revero sedans, as well as the design cues adorning its shapely body.
The plug-in-hybrid setup now utilizes a turbocharged four-cylinder instead of the current system's turbo three-cylinder.
It's easy to forget about Karma Automotive, the small California-based and Chinese-owned company that emerged from the bankruptcy of Fisker Automotive. Karma appears to only build a few hundred cars each year, but the vehicles it does assemble are among the most voluptuous, luscious luxury cars out there. Now, Karma is back with another stunner, the Amaris, a slinky coupe featuring a range-extender plug-in-hybrid powertrain.
The shapely two-door body features many of the same design cues seen on Karma's existing model, the Revero (née GS-6) as well as the electric Gyesera sedan shown in March of last year. In fact, the Amaris and Gyesera are based around an all-aluminum spaceframe that evolved from the Revero's architecture, itself a transformation of the original Fisker Karma.
Regardless of how new the Amaris's underpinnings are, the coupe is a breathtaking machine, with a swept-back cabin and smooth surfaces punctuated by sharp slashes on the bumpers and the leading edge of the doors. Karma says those doors swing upwards to allow access to the cabin but hasn't shown the interior yet. The Amaris rides on 22-inch forged aluminum wheels with a dazzling design that Karma dubs "Constellation" and the body is fashioned from a mix of carbon fiber and aluminum. Another neat detail are side-exit exhausts, which poke out just behind the doors.
Under the hood, the Amaris features a range-extender setup that is said to be a "more powerful, next-generation" version of the system found in its current offerings. Karma didn't provide a ton of details about the powertrain but said that the gas-powered generator is now a larger, turbocharged inline-four engine from BMW. The current range-extender PHEV setup features a turbocharged 1.5-liter three-cylinder from BMW, which feeds a battery powering a pair of electric motors making 536 hp and 550 pound-feet of torque.
No power figures were provided but Karma estimates that the Amaris can accelerate from zero to 60 mph in 3.5 seconds with a top speed of 165 mph. That's seven-tenths quicker than Karma's estimate for the 590-hp electric Gyesera and a full second ahead of the claimed time for the Revero sedan. Karma also didn't give an estimated range for the plug-in-hybrid coupe.
Karma says the design of the Amaris draws inspiration from the Kaveya coupe that the automaker showed in 2023, but the Amaris will actually arrive first. As part of the coupe's reveal, Karma clarified its future plans. The sleek Kaveya, originally due this year, has now been delayed to 2027. The Gyesera, unveiled in early 2024, was originally set to launch by the end of last year with a fully electric powertrain but now will launch by the end of 2025 with a range-extender setup and reworked styling.
Karma also confirmed that the Gyesera will succeed the Revero, and it seems the electric version has been put on ice. Karma cites "changes in the near-term market demand for EVs" for the shift in its plans. Karma says production of the Amaris is expected to kick off in the fourth quarter of 2026.
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