Latest news with #Kaveya
Yahoo
25-07-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Karma Automotive unveils the Kaveya hypercar at Goodwood Festival of Speed
At this year's Goodwood Festival of Speed, Karma Automotive, an American luxury EV company, debuted their latest hypercar; The Karma Kaveya. The Kaveya, which took part in the famous Goodwood hill-climb can achieve up to 1,000 horsepower and has a fully electric power train. The Keveya is equipped with a 120-kWh battery pack that provides a targeted range of over 250 miles. The vehicle can DC fast charge from 10-80% in approximately 45 minutes. Switch Auto Insurance and Save Today! Great Rates and Award-Winning Service The Insurance Savings You Expect Affordable Auto Insurance, Customized for You According to the brand, the Karma Kaveya aims to redefine luxury and performance, designed to accelerate from 0-60 mph in under three seconds and reach a top speed of 180 mph. Frankie Youd spoke with Nicholas David, vice president of global design, Karma Automotive, to learn more about the vehicle, the design itself and future plans. Frankie Youd (FY): Could you provide some background on Karma Automotive and what you are showing at Goodwood Festival of Speed? Nicholas David (ND): Karma Automotive is based in California. The design and R&D facility is in California, as well as the factory near Palm Springs. We've been going now for about eleven years. I've been with the company for about three years. The brand is now moving towards the ultra-luxury space. I think that's going to be great for us; we want lower volume, a higher margin and far more exclusivity. What we have at Goodwood this year is the Karma Kaveya. There will be around 1,800 units made and sold. There might be some different variants. What we have here today is the four-motor electric version; it will also come as a two-motor, rear-wheel drive. The two-motor starts at about $300,000 and the four-motor will start at about $400,000, but you will be able to spec it accordingly. What we want to do with Karma Automotive is get a lot of personalisation, to have people come in and configure it. It's also really good for people to see if moving at this event. It's good to see the car running up the hill. People can see it and say: 'wow look at that!' What was the design process for this vehicle? With the Kaveya we were trying to design a supercar that no one looks at and thinks 'oh, it looks a bit like something else'. It looks completely unique. When we are at the design studio, we have a 'no' list, which is a list of attributes that other car companies are doing, especially supercars, that we say we will not do on our car. I think as designers, we can come up with something new, but sometimes we fall back on what we feel is safe in some areas. Some of the designs we came up with were phenomenal but we said no, too close to something else. We really did make a point of trying to be unique. I think as designers, we can come up with something new, but sometimes we fall back on what we feel is safe in some areas. I think we have come up with something very unique, clean, very simple. We have this master line; it goes from the rear fender, around the cowl into the other fender. We call it a comet line. That is a signature now for all our Kaveya models; all the other surfaces drape from it. Within the design industry I think there's been this bit of 'anti-design' where there are lots of slashes, weird forms, strange volumes, to make it 'new'. I think we really wanted to concentrate on the proportion and then reduce, reduce, reduce. People with a V10, V12 want noise, and you have to have some theatre with that. So, what is our theatre? We've removed all the door seals, and made them hidden seals; the windshield wiper panel slides back and forth to hide the wipers, which is also good for aerodynamics. To open the door you have a touch sensor on the panel; at the back of the vehicle at high speeds the spoiler comes out, and slides in when you want it to. Could you discuss the design of the interior? The interior that you see on the car today is more the demo car interior that we've been using. The screens hide away when you don't want them, or they reduce down. The armrest moves to expose the cupholder, when you get in it is a very clean and simple design. The car allows you to hide elements and bring them out when you want. We are also looking into passenger side screens. Do clients want to have minimal or maximum interaction? We are listening and thinking about it; a lot of clients are saying it would be nice for this model. There are some things that we do have to consider doing when we listen. Does the company have a global reach or is it focusing more on the US? The current car we're producing, the Revero, is available in mainland Europe. It's been homologated for there, as well as North America. The split is a bit more biased towards America. This one will be globally homologated. We'll be showcasing in China, Middle East, Europe and America. The Amaris will probably be a global vehicle, but they will remain left-hand drive. The Gyesera, is homologated for North America currently, but it can be adapted for Europe. We definitely are trying to become more of a global brand We definitely are trying to become more of a global brand, to have them in UK and everywhere. We've been building up the dealership network. We've got a lot of dealers in North America already and in Europe. What is the reaction to a hypercar which is electric? When we first showed it, I think it was at the peak of 'let's go electric', and there was really good influence on those early adopters. However, in the industry news at the moment it's about pulling back away from electric a little bit and going more towards maybe for hybrid as a stepping stone. A lot of the people who have put down a deposit already have a lot of ICE supercars, and they were okay with it, because they wanted something different; they want a different experience with each car they have. They like a performance, the looks, and the drama. This model is supposed to be full electric; we're not going to do an ICE version. We've also tried to hit a bit of a nice niche area, because you have Hyundai, BMW, Volkswagen, down in the more affordable EV vehicles. This falls in, as I said, about the $300,000-$400,000 mark, so it's a bit more of a niche area where people usually own quite a few cars, it's not their only one. They like a performance, the looks, and the drama. "Karma Automotive unveils the Kaveya hypercar at Goodwood Festival of Speed" was originally created and published by Just Auto, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
31-03-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Karma Automotive solidifies lineup with focus on energy range-extended powertrains
IRVINE, Calif. — In November 2023, Karma Automotive introduced the Kaveya coupe, a sleek electric vehicle pitched as the brand's halo model, launching an ambitious quest to go upmarket as an ultraluxury brand along with plans for a reimagined product portfolio. In the 16 months since, the Southern California company, which dates to 2014 when Chinese auto parts maker Wanxiang Group acquired some of the assets of bankrupt Fisker Automotive, has built out its future product lineup with three new nameplates, while shifting its focus from EVs to energy range-extended powertrains. And while the electric Kaveya remains in Karma's plans — the automaker said it'll launch in 2027 instead of 2026 — the brand is ready to execute, said Marques McCammon, the company's president. Want to keep up with the latest product planning news? Go to Automotive News' regularly updated database of product plans for brands that sell in the United States. Future Product Pipeline >5-year product timelines by brand > 'Everything right now is about what we do and what we deliver,' McCammon told a crowd inside the company's headquarters here on March 20. Karma, which McCammon likened to a grown-up startup during the presentation, took a pivotal step in late 2024 when it resumed output of the updated Revero sedan, an extended-range vehicle, at the automaker's Moreno Valley, Calif. Karma is now shipping about four Reveros a week out of the plant, McCammon told journalists, and should sell around 250 new vehicles in 2025. Pricing for the Revero sedan starts at $125,600 including shipping. Production of the Invictus, based on the Revero, is set to begin in the second quarter. The performance variant features carbon-fiber body panels, chassis upgrades and aluminum wheels. Pricing starts at $187,500 including shipping. The Gyesera sedan, first pitched as an EV, will now arrive as an extended-range vehicle, in the fourth quarter. It will be the Revero's successor. Karma said the change was in response to near-term market demand for EVs, which has softened. The Amaris coupe, which debuted March 20, will arrive in 2026. The Karma lineup will be rounded out by the Ivara crossover in 2028. Both the Amaris and the Ivara will have energy range-extended powertrains. The Ivara, which would be the automaker's first entry in the high-volume crossover segment, is critical to Karma's financial outlook. 'Our profitability is tied to Ivara, so 2028, 2029 is when we expect the business to be profitable,' McCammon said He said Karma's ownership remains committed to the brand and noted he meets with the board quarterly. McCammon said he's made it clear to the board that Karma will attract new capital and financial support from U.S. investors but declined to specify beyond equity markets. Sign up for the Automotive News Cars & Concepts newsletter, a weekly roundup of new and future product, design and auto show news. The Revero, with roots dating to the 2011 Fisker Karma, features a 28-kilowatt-hour battery pack along with a 1.5-liter turbocharged engine mated to an onboard generator for a total of 536 hp and 550 pound-feet of torque. It has an electric-only range of 80 miles and a total range of 360 miles. While details about the Amaris' powertrain and range have not been released, Karma said the coupe will use a turbocharged, four-cylinder engine as a generator. Ed Kim, chief analyst at automotive research firm AutoPacific, said Karma has an opportunity to use its energy range-extended powertrain knowledge to gain an advantage. The powertrain was ignored for a long time, Kim said, but that's changing with high-profile use cases such as the Ram 1500 Ramcharger and Scout Motors' Harvester extended-range EV energy system. 'All of a sudden, it's super relevant and they [Karma] happen to have it,' Kim said of the energy range-extended setup. 'That is their powertrain.' But how well-heeled consumers will respond to Karma remains to be seen. And Karma's product rollout is taking place just as a trade war unfolds and threatens to drive new-vehicle prices higher. Karma could see some impact despite its vehicles being built in the U.S. Analysts believe some exotic brands will be able to absorb the impact of U.S. auto tariffs because their customers often aren't deterred by higher prices. McCammon said if Karma were to raise prices to mitigate the impact of any tariffs, customers would generally be less sensitive to such changes but acknowledged the brand doesn't enjoy the legacy or history of some competitors, which means Karma models need to be a relative value proposition. McCammon is positioning Karma to be an ultraluxury U.S. brand and said it's an opportunity to return to a time 'where American ingenuity reigned atop the most prominent brands in the world,' pointing to Packard, Duesenberg, Cord and Auburn. Karma customers, who McCammon said are typically entrepreneurs or business owners, are familiar with established ultraluxury and luxury brands. A Karma might be a third, fourth or fifth vehicle in someone's fleet, he noted, with many of those customers also owning a Mercedes-Benz, Bentley or Aston Martin. Karma has 36 dealerships globally, including in the U.S., Canada, Europe and the Middle East. The company's sales goal for 2025 — about 250 — is modest, but McCammon told Automotive News that the brand still intends to eventually reach annual deliveries of around 5,000. 'At that point, we're solid and profitable and we're able to innovate the way that we want,' McCammon said. 'For us to get to that stability is about half of that. We don't need to do a lot. We just need to do what we do well.' Have an opinion about this story? Tell us about it and we may publish it in print. Click here to submit a letter to the editor.
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Karma Automotive Returns with the Sultry Amaris Plug-in-Hybrid Coupe
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. You Might Also Like Car and Driver's 10 Best Cars through the Decades How to Buy or Lease a New Car Lightning Lap Legends: Chevrolet Camaro vs. Ford Mustang!
