Karma Automotive has big plans for 2019, announcing a partnership with Pininfarina. The tie-up expands the range of collaborations among the electric car world; we can draw a line to Pininfarina to Rimac, Rivian, and now Karma. The union was described as bolstering "each partner's commitment to beautiful luxury automotive design and ... a major addition to Karma's growing list of strategic business partners" to assist in technology and development. We've been told to expect the first fruits of the partnership in the second quarter of this year, but the press release didn't explicitly mention a car — that might be further down the line.
A new vehicle can't come too soon, because Karma's got a lot of miles out of the sedan once known as the Fisker Karma. Chinese auto supplier Wanxing bought the bankrupt Fisker Automotive in 2013, rebranded itself as Karma Automotive in 2015, and turned the 4-year-old Karma electric sedan into the Revero. The sedan has been on sale ever since, with minor changes and special editions, most recently the limited-to-15, $145,000 Aliso from October 2018.
The Pininfarina partnership is Karma's second big announcement this year, after nabbing Aston Martin's U.S. PR head, and unveiling its Value-Forward business plan and CHASE initiative. CHASE is an acronym that stands for Connectivity, Highest performance, Artificial intelligence, Shared mobility and platforms, and Electrification. This latest collaboration and others, along with purchasing relevant intellectual property, will help Karma "accelerate product development, differentiation, and personalized customization." Assuming Karma puts the money and resources behind the program, the automaker wants to establish its EV and tech credentials in the U.S. before going international. Maybe Karma could buy Faraday Future - seems a shame to let the FF1 go to waste.
In a tweet during CES, Karma CEO Dr. Lance Zhou wrote, "From @CES to Auto Shanghai, 2019 will be a big year for @KarmaAutomotive." Seeing that Auto Shanghai happens in April, we wouldn't be surprised to see Karma and Pininfarina's Q2 reveal happen there.
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A new vehicle can't come too soon, because Karma's got a lot of miles out of the sedan once known as the Fisker Karma. Chinese auto supplier Wanxing bought the bankrupt Fisker Automotive in 2013, rebranded itself as Karma Automotive in 2015, and turned the 4-year-old Karma electric sedan into the Revero. The sedan has been on sale ever since, with minor changes and special editions, most recently the limited-to-15, $145,000 Aliso from October 2018.
The Pininfarina partnership is Karma's second big announcement this year, after nabbing Aston Martin's U.S. PR head, and unveiling its Value-Forward business plan and CHASE initiative. CHASE is an acronym that stands for Connectivity, Highest performance, Artificial intelligence, Shared mobility and platforms, and Electrification. This latest collaboration and others, along with purchasing relevant intellectual property, will help Karma "accelerate product development, differentiation, and personalized customization." Assuming Karma puts the money and resources behind the program, the automaker wants to establish its EV and tech credentials in the U.S. before going international. Maybe Karma could buy Faraday Future - seems a shame to let the FF1 go to waste.
In a tweet during CES, Karma CEO Dr. Lance Zhou wrote, "From @CES to Auto Shanghai, 2019 will be a big year for @KarmaAutomotive." Seeing that Auto Shanghai happens in April, we wouldn't be surprised to see Karma and Pininfarina's Q2 reveal happen there.
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Featured Gallery Karma Revero Aliso
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