Karma details Revero sales strategy as owner Wanxiang plans electric car factory

Wanxiang Group, which acquired the assets of plug-in hybrid pioneer Fisker and renamed it Karma Automotive, is planning a large-scale $375 million electric car factory with an output capacity of 50,000 vehicles per year, according to Bloomberg. Meanwhile, Karma Automotive also revealed its distribution model for the Revero plug-in hybrid it plans to release later this year, with a big reveal planned for September 8.

In 2014, Wanxiang acquired Fisker Automotive out of bankruptcy and gave it the backing needed to resume operations, but switched the company’s brand to that of its first product: The Karma, which got a debut at the North American Auto Show in 2008 but only ever achieved a total production run of 2,450 over the course of its existence. The renamed Karma also got new management, and a new California-based production site to go with the new owner.

Karma’s Revero will be its first production vehicle following these shifts, with a $100,000 starting price tag and a launch window of “later this year.” The Souther California-based company revealed its launch distribution plans today, including use of licensed third-party luxury car deals, and its own “Experience Center” direct sales locations.

Potential Revero customers will be able to shop Karma’s offerings in Atlanta, Chicago, Ft. Worth, Miami, Palm Beach, Pasadena, Philadelphia, Detroit, Montreal and Toronto when the go on sale, all at high-end third-party dealerships that also stock cars from companies including Lamborghini, McClaren, Porsche and others.

Karma’s owned sales facilities will offer a much more brand-specific sales experience, and the first of these is planned for Orange County. This will provide the setting for the initial Revero reveal in September, too.

Wanxiang’s application filing detailing its upcoming China-based electric vehicle factory includes confirmation that it will be producing vehicles based on the vehicle platforms it acquired from Fisker, including the Karma and Atlantic, a two-door sport coupe. Wanxiang currently only manufactures car parts, but is hoping to receive approval from the Chinese government to expand into full car production with this new factor proposal.