Author: EVAI

• Revero PHEV production continues now, limited-edition Invictus arrives in 2025
• Gyesera due in 2026 debuts new look, composite body
• Kaveya supercar due in late 2026 goes fully electric, embraces Intel architecture
• Karma’s push to power fleets and commercial vehicles has faded

It’s been more than ten years since California-based Karma Automotive initially formed with funding from the Chinese parts supplier Wanxiang Group and the assets of then-defunct Fisker Automotive. 

Since then, Karma has teased a number of concept and limited-edition vehicles, along with several about-faces in business direction, all while both refining its plug-in series hybrid technology and working toward a mix of PHEVs and fully electric models in the future. Karma highlights that it engineers, designs, and manufactures its vehicles in Southern California. 

Although Karma’s long-term funding situation remains unclear, it also has serious aspirations to be a technology supplier to other automakers and the industry, as evidenced by its 2024 acquisition of the tech assets and IP of over-the-air software update pioneer Airbiquity, and of its recent confirmation of a technology partnership with Intel Automotive—including co-branded inverters and more—aimed at creating and refining the architecture and software for next-gen software-defined vehicles. 

“We’ve integrated that, and we continue to evolve our software platform. That’s a very, very big focus for us,” said Karma CEO Marques McCammon, of the Airbiquity acquisition. Karma’s upcoming Kaveya supercar is set to act as a “living development prototype” for the Intel architecture.

Intel Automotive and Karma

But last month, in a comprehensive interview with Green Car Reports, McCammon laid out that its primary goal remains to be a tech-forward ultra-luxury automaker with a ramped-up slate of models and an annual volume greater than what it’s managed to make cumulatively in its 10+ years. 

Karma has some heavy lifting to get there. Its only current model, the Revero, returned in the fall after a production pause earlier in 2024, and McCammon confirmed that it’s once again being delivered. Deliveries in recent years have landed below a hundred vehicles a year; and earlier last year Karma said that it had delivered a cumulative 1,000 vehicles—over its entire history.

“I have no intention of claiming 50,000 or 100,000 units,” said McCammon when asked about annual volume targets. Instead, he offered, “3,000-5,000 units is where I want to be.” 

“I can be at the ultra-luxury or exotic level and I can lean into the technology aggressively, and I’m small so I can move fast,” he said, summing up the philosophy. “And then I can share it.”

Sitting down with McCammon at CES, we had the CEO run through what will get him to annual production and sales of thousands rather than hundreds, and of the kind of desirability that will nurture Karma as a tech supplier. 

Karma Revero GTS

Karma Revero, EREV series-hybrids remain the foundation

The Revero (also called the Karma GS-6 for a brief time) is a continuation of the Fisker Karma, which was first delivered in 2011. It carries most key aspects of the original Karma’s design forward but advances with a revamped powertrain and an updated interior. The plug-in series-hybrid propulsion system was featured in the Fisker Karma and is derived from a Quantum Technologies system originally developed for military vehicles. But Karma has extensively revamped that since the Fisker days, with a more powerful and refined 1.5-liter BMW turbo-3 and a bigger 28-kwh battery pack introduced for 2020.

In Karma’s so-called EREV system, the gasoline engine runs a generator when needed, while a dual-motor propulsion system produces 536 hp with additional electricity from the engine—delivering a 4.5-second 0-60 mph time—or 476 hp without the engine starting. The Revero was EPA-rated at 61 miles of range for the 2020 model year and specs haven’t changed significantly since then.

With it, the Revero is one of the few plug-in hybrid models on the market that can fast-charge. On an easy-to-find 50-kw CCS connector it can get to 80% in 24 minutes, according to Karma—so a quick charge during lunch might allow you more than 100 electric miles over the course of the day. 

Karma Revero Invictus

Karma Revero Invictus

Karma Revero Invictus

Invictus transforms Revero, adds performance focus

The Karma Invictus comes next—later this year. As a special edition of the Revero, it’s set to be built around “a chassis more tightly refined for performance,” said McCammon, and it will weigh less overall than the Revero. 

Karma has promised performance upfits including Öhlins dampers, Swift springs, and Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires for the Invictus.

“We replace aluminum paddles with carbon; we lighten the vehicle up and we make it a fun driving machine; and then we do some really trick things on the interior, like hand-stitched themes where we draw from the Chrysler Building in New York,” said McCammon. “It’s very Art Deco—a collectible car.”

The Karma and Invictus will continue to take advantage of Karma’s body shop in Moreno Valley, California, which was configured to build a whole set of vehicles all starting with the same aluminum space frame. 

Karma Gyesera

Karma Gyesera

Karma Gyesera

Gyesera embraces composite body, new look

After Invictus comes the Gyesera, which McCammon described as a “new rebodied car.” 

“It’s a whole new interior, whole new exterior, we’re moving away from aluminum for the body, and we’re focusing more on composite, so we have lighter weight, more high-performance, more exotic, frankly.”

Work on the composite body is being done partly in house and partly with suppliers. Its shop in California can paint composite panels but not make them. It’s specced and designed, then shipped in.

The Gyesera was originally due in 2024, and when we asked McCammon when it was arriving instead, he hinted that it’s changed direction over time. Although the Gyesera was originally supposed to be the first departure from that range extender, he suggested it will likely instead be a plug-in hybrid. 

“We’ve been actively reevaluating that since June of last year, just because of the shift in market perception around EVs,” he said. “Right now with our EREV, I don’t know of anyone in the world—no one in North America—has an EV-only range of up to 80 miles.”

Sometime beyond the Gyesera, Karma has also suggested that a plug-in hybrid SUV might be in the way, maybe one like the Karma Ivara concept shown last year. 

Karma Kaveya concept

1,000-hp Kaveya EV supercar tests Intel architecture

The exotic-looking, fully electric Karma Kaveya comes next, in late 2026—or perhaps sooner, hinted McCammon. It will produce 1,000 hp and be capable of accelerating to 60 mph in the vicinity of two seconds. 

Although the Kaveya looks completely different, it will still build on Karma’s physical platform, meaning its aluminum space-frame layout and some of the chassis pieces. This will allow lots of commonality despite the adoption of the Intel whole-vehicle electrical architecture. 

“We can change the spine, the length, the height, and don’t have to change the fundamental platform,” said McCammon. “So we can translate from a Revero or Gyesera to Kaveya and still have 40-plus-percent common content.”

Karma EREV E-Flex van concept

Commercial vehicles on the sidelines, design up front

Karma still plans to support commercial vehicles on its platform, McCammon said, but it won’t be at the core of the business as it appeared to be in 2021 when the company announced it would go after the electrified bus, RV, and box-truck market with a “Powered by Karma” banner. The focus will instead be on passenger vehicles, and specifically those at the upper end of the market—“American ultra-luxury,” as McCammon put it. 

Based on the use case, its propulsion platform could have different configurations, including some built around 400 volts and others around 800 volts. That could include 800-volt versions for a super coupe or a crossover—allowing faster charging, among other advantages—plus a 400-volt version for commercial vehicles.  

Karma Everyday BEV E-Flex platform

In addition to technology, design is the second key point that will get Karma to higher but still-exclusive volumes, the CEO explained. Between VP of design Michelle Christensen and Nick David as interior design director, they’re working as a team to give the vehicles a fresh look.

”I asked Michelle to take everything she has done in the studio and translate it into our entire brand experience,” McCammon explained. “Nick continues to work on the vehicle, but now she’s expanding that so every touch point of Karma has the same aesthetic.”

While Karma isn’t wound up in a typical startup hype cycle, it’s still trying to prove itself with finite resources. What it might deliver in tech and design all its own is still taking form—but it’s due very soon.

A piece of Corvette royalty will soon be offered to the public The car is considered the first purpose-built General Motors race car It is being offloaded by the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum, and is estimated to sell for between $5 million and $7 million One of the most significant Corvettes in history will be auctioned off this February…

2025 Subaru Forester Hybrid starts at $36,415 The AWD crossover SUV gets 35 mpg combined The Hybrid costs $3,000 more than a similarly equipped gas-only Forester Most compact crossovers now offer hybrid powertrains, but the Subaru Forester has been a notable exception. That changes this year. Revealed Thursday at the 2025 Chicago auto show, the…

Kalmar has revealed a Safari-style conversion for the 997-generation Porsche 911 Upgrades include Kevlar composite parts and a ride height that extends to over 8.0 inches Kalmar says it won’t develop Safari-style conversions for any 911 generation beyond the 997 Danish performance marque Kalmar, known for its bespoke Porsche 911 restomods, has…

An electric BMW M3 is in the works and prototypes have been spotted A video provides a taste of the generated sound within the cabin of one of the prototypes The electric M3 is due around 2027 and will still have a gas-powered counterpart BMW is working on a new generation of electric vehicles, known as the Neue Klasse, and some of them will be…

The 2025 Jeep Wagoneer S electric SUV makes the transition to regular production after a truncated first model year.

Unveiled Thursday at the 2025 Chicago auto show, the 2025 Jeep Wagoneer S Limited grade joins the Launch Edition version that kicked off sales of Jeep’s first EV for North America late last year as a 2024 model. It’s priced at $66,995 (including a $1,795 destination charge)—$5,000 less than the Launch Edition that’s arrived for a brief 2024 model year.

The Limited will get the Launch Edition’s 600 hp and 617 lb-ft of torque, but only through an extra-cost over-the-air (OTA) update as part of an Propulsion Boost Package arriving later in the model year. Otherwise, true to the badging, it’s limited to 500 hp and 520 lb-ft.

That higher of the outputs helps make the Wagoneer S the quickest Jeep in history. In a first drive of the Launch Edition model, we found that it also strays from Jeep brand identity. A production version of the off-road-ready Wagoneer S Trailhawk concept shown last year would address that, but so far there’s no hint from Jeep that it’s on the way.

2024 Jeep Wagoneer S test drive review

The Wagoneer S Limited doesn’t have EPA range ratings yet, but it does have the same 100-kwh battery pack that can be charged from 20%-80% in 23 minutes and is rated at 303 miles in the Launch Edition. All Wagoneer S models include an offer of a 48-amp Level 2 AC home charger or credits of equivalent value for use at public charging stations.

The Limited carries forward some design elements from the Launch Edition, including a lack of chrome trim and standard 20-inch wheels. But those wheels have a machined aluminum finish instead of gloss black, and they’re accompanied by a black roof and mirror caps.

2025 Jeep Wagoneer S Limited

2025 Jeep Wagoneer S Limited

2025 Jeep Wagoneer S Limited

2025 Jeep Wagoneer S Limited

Inside, the Wagoneer S Limited can be equipped with the same three-screen arrangement as the Launch Edition, encompassing a 12.3-inch central display, 12.3-inch instrument cluster, and 10.2-inch front-passenger display. A dual-pane panoramic sunroof and 10-way power-adjustable heated front seats are standard as well, while a McIntosh high-end audio system is optional.

Stellantis on Thursday unveiled a lower-priced version of the Jeep Wagoneer S, the brand’s first electric vehicle for the North American market. The Wagoneer S went on sale late last year as a 2024 model in a single Launch Edition configuration priced at $71,995 with destination. At the 2025 Chicago auto show, Stellantis brought out a new Wagoneer…

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• Entry-level EV teased; likely ID.1 will start under $21,000 in Europe
• Nine new models by 2027, including ID.2all, electric Golf, electric T-Roc crossover
• Volkswagen hasn’t confirmed if any of those EVs are U.S.-bound

The big future that Volkswagen sees for its core brand brings it back to its roots: affordable small cars—at least for Europe. 

On Wednesday, VW confirmed plans for an entry-level, fully electric small car starting at less than $21,000 (around 20,000 euros), due in 2027. While it gave employees a first look at the model, VW announced that it will be showing this entry EV to the public at the beginning of March. 

The small EV, widely expected to be called ID.1, was pitched by Volkswagen Passenger Cars CEO Thomas Schäfer as “an affordable, high-quality, and profitable electric Volkswagen from Europe for Europe.” 

The likely ID.1, which even from the teaser photo above appears to channel some heritage from the successful Up—and fully electric e-Up—city car, will fit in its EV lineup next to the production version of the VW ID.2all, which comprises a small-car family that represents the evolution of VW’s MEB foundation for affordable EVs and is set for a 2026 introduction with a starting price under $26,000 (25,000 euros). 

Volkswagen ID.2all concept

Volkswagen ID.2all concept

Volkswagen ID.2all concept

In all, VW plans nine new models by 2027, including the ID.2all and entry-level EV. so it’s unclear whether this model might see other markets like North America as also within its lens. Green Car Reports has reached out to Volkswagen of America for some context—and especially whether the recent cancellation of the ID.7 is any indication U.S. EV products will go in the same affordable direction. 

VW didn’t confirm where these new European models would be built—Spain is the likely location, based on reports—but it did say it would keep its home Wolfsburg plant the core of VW as it shifts to EVs. That means shifting Golf production to Mexico to make room at Wolfsburg for a next-generation electric Golf and upcoming electric T-Roc crossover. 

In 2019 VW envisioned a much higher volume for its EVs, targeting 15 million EVs across 50 EV models globally by 2028 with a strong focus on Europe, North America, and China, plus a second wave of models providing even more growth. 

VW said Wednesday that globally it has sold more than 1.35 million ID vehicles since it introduced the product family in 2019, and last year it reached 383,100 EV sales.

Rivian and Volkswagen Group electrical architecture and software stack

As of yet VW’s progress has been hindered by an array of issues, ranging from supply chain and software issues to a Chinese market landscape that’s evolved to favor local EV makers. But a recent $5.8 billion investment and joint venture with Rivian extending to electrical architecture and software may help ease the way in future mass-market EVs, including small cars.

• Nissan and Honda are “advancing various discussions” regarding proposed merger
• Honda reportedly proposed to make Nissan a subsidiary
  
• Merger is seen as potential lifeline for Nissan, would create one of world’s largest automakers

The anticipated merger between Honda and Nissan announced last December, may be encountering significant challenges that, according to reports, could potentially lead to its cancellation.

Initially, both automakers planned to finalize their decision by the end of January, but the deadline has been pushed back to mid-February. New tariff threats by the Trump administration are also likely to be weighing on the deliberations.

Now a series of reports citing insiders—and potentially part of the give-and-take of negotiation—indicate that Nissan is reconsidering its participation in the merger.

Citing several sources, Reuters reported on Wednesday that Nissan’s management expressed concerns over Honda’s proposal to make Nissan a subsidiary, a move that could diminish Nissan’s decision-making authority within the partnership. That report also appears to imply that negotiations have halted or that Nissan has withdrawn while it retains the option to restart negotiations.

Nissan, after that report, has issued a statement confirming that discussions have not ended. “Based on the memorandum of understanding signed on December 23 last year, Honda and our company are in the stage of advancing various discussions, including the contents of the report, and we plan to establish a direction and make an announcement around mid-February,”

Honda had not yet at the time of writing issued its own equivalent statement. Japan’s Asahi Shimbun also reported on Wednesday, perhaps as part of these “discussions,” that Honda executives are frustrated with Nissan’s slow progress in both the merger discussions and the implementation of a restructuring plan. This plan includes the reduction of 9,000 jobs and a 20% decrease in production capacity.

Unlike Honda, Nissan has been struggling with declining sales, particularly in the U.S. and China, raising uncertainty about its future without the merger. Without a clear path forward, the merger has been seen as a potential lifeline. The Financial Times in its own report on Wednesday highlighted that Nissan’s recent poor financial performance has caused its market capitalization to shrink to just one-fifth of Honda’s, altering the balance of power in the negotiations.

Mitsubishi, which is already partially owned by Nissan, was invited to join the merger. However, reports from January suggested that Mitsubishi preferred to stay out of the merger, citing its smaller size and concerns over losing independence within the combined entity.

Even without the merger, Honda and Nissan may deepen their collaboration. The automakers are already partnered in some areas. Honda and Nissan have been collaborating on EV and software development since early last year, and Mitsubishi joined the partnership last summer. Nissan and Mitsubishi also already share vehicle platforms and technology via their existing alliance, which also includes Renault. Mitsubishi has also collaborated with Honda in the past, most recently in battery leasing for EVs through a joint venture called Altna.

Combined sales of Honda and Nissan in 2023 totaled more than 8 million vehicles. That would make the merged automaker, estimated to have a value of around $58 billion, the third largest by sales volume after Toyota and the Volkswagen Group, which sold 11.2 million and 9.2 million vehicles in 2023, respectively.