Karma is back with the 2017 Revero

[Suarez™]

Low-slung hybrid gets updates all around, but still uses old powertrain

Second chances are rare in the automotive world. But thanks to the deep, privately owned pockets of the Chinese company Wanxiang, the voluptuous Fisker Karma gets another shot at success. The 5-year-old sedan has been reborn into the new Karma Revero. One look at the photos and it's clear: As pretty as the Revero may be, this is the same car that once wore a Fisker badge on its nose. However, as we learned at a launch event in Huntington Beach, California, Karma Automotive has made some important upgrades to the sedan that should make the $130,000 Revero a far more reliable and enjoyable ride.

The Fisker rushed the original Karma into production too quickly. The car’s complicated powertrain needed another round of development, according to Carl Jenkins, senior vice president and vehicle line executive of Karma Automotive. He says engineering team simply didn’t have a powerful enough voice within the company. The integration of the car’s suppliers was poorly managed, too. The result (in addition to bankruptcy) was a healthy list of ailments, including the Karma’s heart—its battery pack.

Jenkins says it has targeted those trouble spots. The team ran three cars for 100,000 miles to test for problems. And that resulted in Karma replacing the entire electrical system right down to the key fobs and backup cameras. The team used a special car in their lab stripped of bodywork specifically to hunt down electrical gremlins. Jenkins’ own Fisker test car overheated on a mountain pass outside Los Angeles. So he personally oversaw improvements in thermal management that included better airflow through the grille and a redesigned front fascia, as well as new software.