Karma Automotive is still in the game—just not in the way most carmakers are. It doesn’t churn out thousands of vehicles a year or fight for mainstream attention. Instead, it sticks to its niche, rolling out a handful of high-end, low-volume cars. Its latest is the Amaris, a two-door grand tourer set to hit production in late 2026. Like the cars before it, the Amaris won’t be easy to find on the road. Karma builds only a few hundred vehicles a year. The California-based, Chinese-owned company has had more comebacks than most startups, rising from the bankruptcy of Fisker Automotive and navigating years of instability. Yet, it keeps at it. The Amaris follows Karma’s Comet Line design language. Underneath, it runs on a range-extender plug-in-hybrid powertrain, a setup that’s not fully electric but extends battery range with a backup generator. Beyond the Amaris, Karma is also working on an electric model called the Kaveya EV. Read More This Ultra-Rare Widebody BMW M4 is Impossible to Ignore Hybrid Power with Exotic Looks The Karma Amaris knows how to make an entrance. Its swan doors swing upward. What’s inside? Karma isn’t saying yet, but from the outside, there’s already plenty to take in. This two-door coupe is the sportier sibling to the Gyesera sedan, built on the same spaceframe architecture. The body is a mix of carbon fiber and aluminum, keeping it light without sacrificing strength. A clamshell hood with Karma’s Target Lighting signature stretches over the front. It rolls on 22-inch forged aluminum wheels, a new design Karma calls “Constellation.” But what really makes this coupe stand out is the side-exit exhausts placed just behind the doors. Under the hood, the Amaris runs on a range-extender setup, using a BMW-sourced turbocharged inline-four engine as a generator. It replaces the 1.5L three-cylinder from the Revero, but Karma hasn’t revealed exact power figures yet. What they did confirm is that the Amaris hits 60 mph in 3.5 seconds and tops out at 165 mph (266 kph)—quicker than both the Gyesera and Revero. Karma is keeping quiet on a few key numbers, including battery range and what’s inside. But if the Amaris drives like it looks, it’s going to be worth the wait. Karma Adjusts Course, Prioritizes Hybrids Karma once aimed for a lineup of EVs, but now it’s leaning into range-extender hybrids instead. The shift is clear across its lineup. A sleek electric coupe Kaveya was supposed to launch next year. Now, it’s delayed to 2027. The Gyesera, originally set to arrive as a fully electric sedan in 2023, won’t hit the market until late 2025—and it’s no longer an EV. Instead, it’s getting a range-extender hybrid powertrain. Karma says it’s responding to market demand, with buyers pulling back on EVs. Even the upcoming GT-UV crossover, which was meant to have an electric option, won’t arrive until 2027. Read More Hennessey’s Venom F5 Configurator Unleashes 500,000 Custom Options Bigger automakers are also scaling back EV-only plans, focusing on hybrids and plug-in models instead. It’s a familiar move for Henrik Fisker’s former company. Fisker Automotive was once a leader in plug-in hybrids, but high costs and low sales forced it into bankruptcy in 2013. Chinese auto giant Wanxiang bought the remains in 2015, rebranding it as Karma Automotive. Now, Karma is back where it started—building hybrids while the industry rethinks its EV push. The real question is whether the numbers will work in its favor this time. Source: Karma Automotive
