The updated Karma Revero has arrived at Auto Shanghai 2019 with a familiar design, a much-improved powertrain, and the “GT” suffix. Essentially an updated variant of the Fisker Karma, the Revero hit the market in 2016 and now it’s ready for an update bringing BMW engineering into the mix to replace the 2.0-liter GM engine. The sporty luxury sedan uses a turbocharged 1.5-liter three-cylinder engine of Bavarian origins to power the on-board electric generator. The total output from the “world-class electric drive system” with dual electric motors now stands at an impressive 535 horsepower (up from the previous 403 hp) and 550 pound-feet (746 Nm) of torque. It’s enough electric punch for a sprint to 60 mph (96 kph) in only four and a half seconds or 0.9s quicker than before, en route to an electronically limited top speed of 125 mph (201 kph). A future performance version dubbed Revero GTS will cut the sprint time to only 3.9 seconds. Gallery: 2020 Karma Revero GT 10 Photos The new 28-kWh battery pack has enough juice for an EPA-rated 61 miles (up from 37 miles) in electric mode, and an additional 280 miles (450 km) granted by the BMW engine-generator inherited from the i8 plug-in hybrid sports car. Numerous changes to the car have lowered the curb weight from the Revero’s 5,407 pounds (2,452 kilograms) to the Revero GT’s 5,050 lbs (2,290 kg). Some of the diet was achieved by installing the smaller BMW engine and a newly developed battery pack. Aside from the revised powertrain and the weight loss, the Revero GT also promises to offer superior ride quality and sharper handling, while the torque delivery has been improved as well. More From Auto Shanghai: Chevrolet Trailblazer And Tracker Debut Modern Looks In China Karma Automotive will have the Revero GT on sale shortly and will kick off customer delivers in the fourth quarter of the year. The hotter Revero GTS is scheduled to arrive early 2020. The company’s goal is to build 12,000 to 13,000 cars each year at the plant in California. Pricing hasn’t been released, but it’s estimated to remain in the same ballpark as the outgoing $135,000 Revero. Source: Karma Automotive via Automobile Magazine<doc-sep>Karma Automotive, the company formerly known as Fisker, ushers in a "new dawn" with a slate of products that define its immediate and long-term future. A fully refreshed, BMW-engined Revero sports hybrid with more power and range, a Pininfarina-sculpted Revero coupe, and a high-tech all-electric roadster concept all make their debuts at Auto Shanghai 2019. The cars show where Karma stands today and where it's moving in the near and distant future. Karma was brought to life in 2014 after China-headquartered Wanxiang Group acquired the Karma car design and other Fisker Automotive assets, but the young company has yet to branch out into the Chinese market. So it's making some extra noise in Shanghai by debuting not only the new Revero but also two forward-looking concepts. "This is the first major auto presence for Karma in China and marks a significant moment by ushering in a new era for the company," explains Karma CEO Dr. Lance Zhou. "Today, Karma is ready to move forward with bold steps, a chapter we call our New Dawn." Karma Revero GT at Auto Shanghai 2019 The dawn of that bold karmic era casts first light on the 2020 Revero GT, which goes on sale later this year. In its latest incarnation, the Revero finally leaves behind the weird gapped-mustache grille dating back to the original Fisker Karma, gaining an all-new front-end with an airy, slashed-up bumper and a solid, non-slatted upper grille area similar to a modern electric car. Moving back, the new Revero GT maintains a lithe silhouette with long, flowing hood and swept-back cabin. The subtly bowed-in flanks have been injected with smoother, more voluminous styling as compared to the flatter, more sharply marked design of old, while the bumpers have taken the opposite turn, gaining more creases and angles. 2020 Karma Revero GT Karma Automotive More than just a cosmetic makeover, the 2020 Revero GT also benefits from a powertrain upgrade with dual rear electric motors that team for 535 hp and 550 lb-ft. A lithium-ion battery pack keeps those motors turning for up to 80 miles (129 km) of zero emissions driving, a significant boost over the Revero's 50 miles (80 km). Regenerative braking helps keep the batteries firing before it becomes necessary for the BMW turbo three-cylinder engine-generator to kick in and extend total range out to 360 miles (579 km). The Revero GT scoots from 0 to 60 mph (96.5 km/h) in 4.5 seconds, relying on a variable-ratio steering system and carefully tuned suspension to keep performance as convincing through the twists as it is on the straightaways. A full driver-assistance suite comprises features like lane keeping, emergency auto braking and active cruise control. With its 535-hp dual-motor powertrain, the Revero GT can sprint from 0-60 mph in 4.5 seconds Karma Automotive The Karma/Revero has always been among the sportier sedans out there, but the time has come for Karma to explore a proper two-door. The company teamed with Pininfarina on the effort, giving the design house creative freedom in crafting a 2 + 2 rendition of the new Revero GT, something they not-so-succinctly call the "Karma GT designed by Pininfarina." Pininfarina's most intensive work came with the GT two-door's sides, which feature a slender hourglass figure with smoother, softer surfaces and lines Pininfarina Pininfarina stripped a Revero GT right down to the aluminum frame, injecting a little Italian flair into the new two-door body build. It built the new shapely flanks from scratch, softening them up with a cleaner, more fluid design that hides the door handles away with flush mountings. It also spent some time up front, sculpting out a new facial expression centered around a neatly creased hood. The eyes are squeezed and thinned to a degree that would make Fisker himself proud, and the grille stands as a more cohesive, successful take on the original split grille. Pininfarina's work extends inside, where white and off-white leathers brighten things around the digital displays and front-to-rear center console. Interior surfaces gain form and definition with burgundy piping and multi-tone stitching, and nubuck leather and satin aluminum trims add a luxurious feel. A look at the bright interior of the Karma GT by Pininfarina Pininfarina The Karma GT by Pininfarina doesn't have as sure a future as the Revero GT, but Pininfarina is open to a limited production run should the concept inspire enough genuine interest. If that occurs, buyers will be invited to Pininfarina's workshop outside Turin, where they'll work closely with the Pininfarina folks to ensure the car fits like a "tailored suit." For its part, Karma will incorporate select aspects of the concept design into future products. Sedan, coupe ... feels like it's time for a proper roadster. With the open-air SC1 Vision Concept, Karma jumps farther ahead into the future. The projectile-like roadster previews next-gen design language and introduces the idea of an all-electric Karma. Stylistically the car is defined by some familiar concept car ingredients: a rear-slung body that looks chiseled from a single block, a frameless mini-windscreen that rises only about as high as the headrests, and headlights that look like they were sliced into the hood with a scalpel. The Karma SC1 Vision Concept at Auto Shanghai 2019 The SC1 is more than just a flashy creative exercise, previewing how Karma will harness the latest technologies to push its designs forward. Most notably, the car moves beyond the plug-in hybrid power that has defined "Karma" since the Fisker days and into the pure-electric realm. It should prove a particularly natural evolution for a company that's always been rooted in electrified engineering, with battery technology progressing toward the point it can meet or exceed the Revero's 360-mile range without the need for a gas range-extender. Karma loads the SC1 with plenty of buzzy tech terms like 5G connectivity, eye-tracking technology, biometric identification, ultrasonic sensors and augmented reality. It also mentions crafting the interior from never-before-used materials like chopped carbon fiber flakes — and it makes sure to shine blue accent lighting on some of the ingenuity. The SC1 concept interior features plenty of digital display and HUD space, along with unique materials Karma Automotive "Taken together, our Shanghai Big Three show what Karma is today, what Karma can be tomorrow, and where Karma is heading in the future," Zhou sums up. The trio of Shanghai show cars also signals Karma's global intentions. Since its founding in 2014, the company has focused on the US market, but it is now preparing to step onto the world stage. "Karma will be live in Europe and the Middle East next year, and then Asia," says Zhou. "We will be in China by 2021. By gradually expanding our presence this way, I am confident our company, and our products, will be well prepared for the discerning Chinese luxury buyer of the future." To help facilitate that growth and expansion, Karma will seek out strategic partnerships, just as it's done with Pininfarina. Source: Karma Automotive<doc-sep>
Previous Next 1 of 5 Boutique automaker Karma Automotive claims to be looking toward the future, but right now it’s stuck in the past. The only car Karma sells is the Revero, which dates back to the company’s previous incarnation as Fisker Automotive. As part of its resurgence, Karma will debut not one, but three new cars at the 2019 Shanghai Auto Show. The company is relying on two big names — BMW and Pininfarina — to aid in its transformation. The first car debuting in Shanghai will be an updated version of the Revero, christened 2020 Karma Revero GT. It can’t arrive soon enough, as the current-generation Revero dates back to 2012, making it positively ancient by industry standards. The current Revero features a plug-in hybrid powertrain designed to allow the car to operate on electric power most of the time, and it appears Karma will stick with that formula. Styling doesn’t appear to have changed much, but the Revero was already one of the most dramatic looking cars on the road. When it was launched as the Fisker Karma, the car was briefly considered to be a rival to the Tesla Model S. About 2,000 Fisker Karmas were built before Fisker Automotive went bankrupt. Chinese auto-parts company Wanxiang bought the remains of the automaker in 2014, and reconstituted them into Karma Automotive. Karma now builds the same car, renamed Revero, at a factory in Moreno Valley, California, but it will need to develop something new in order to survive. One major change confirmed so far is the use of a BMW turbocharged three-cylinder engine, in place of the General Motors-sourced turbo-four engine currently used in the Revero. As before, the gasoline engine will serve as a generator, producing electricity rather than driving the wheels directly. The new engine works with a pair of rear-mounted electric motors, which produce a combined 536 horsepower and 560 pound-feet of torque. The company expects the 2020 Revero to do zero to 60 mph in 4.5 seconds, which Karma claims is almost a second quicker than the car it will replace. Karma also predicts an electric-only range of up to 80 miles, compared to 37 miles in the outgoing Revero. Previous Next 1 of 5 Karma also unveiled the first product of its collaboration with Pininfarina, the legendary Italian design firm that shaped classic cars like the Alfa Romeo Spider and Ferrari 275 GTB. Pininfarina is also working independently on an electric supercar called the Battista. Named after Pininfarina’s founder, the supercar boasts a claimed 1,877 horsepower and 217 mph top speed. It sounds like Pininfarina has plenty to offer Karma. The Karma Pininfarina GT concept is a coupe based on the underpinnings of the Revero GT. That should make it relatively straightforward to put the car into production, should Karma choose to. Only the body was changed, so performance should be fairly close to the Revero GT. Previous Next 1 of 5 The coupe will be displayed in Shanghai alongside a concept car Karma designed in-house. Called the SC1 Vision, it’s an all-electric convertible. It also features 5G connectivity and an elaborate infotainment system that combines “touch, eye, and graphical interfaces,” according to Karma. However, the automaker didn’t offer any other details on the system, or the SC1 Vision’s powertrain. Karma faces stiff competition from established luxury brands and a host of startups looking to emulate the success of Tesla. Even Henrik Fisker — the name behind of Fisker Automotive — is getting in on the action. He has launched a new company that claims to be developing a long-range electric car using new battery technology. Updated on April 16, 2019: Added photos and details of the three new cars. Editors' Recommendations