Karma Launches New, Cheaper GS-6e Model for “Just” $79,990

Even though the original Karma design dates back to the financial crisis of the late aughts and the early days of the EV revolution, the swoopy, Henrik Fisker–penned design is still alive, and still turns heads like almost nothing else. There is simply no denying the appeal of a low-slung, long-hood, and short-deck, and Karma knows it. That’s why they’ve decided to offer yet another version of the now iconic car. Meet the 2021 Karma GS-6, offering hypercar looks and plug-in functionality for “just” $79,990.

Based on either the Fisker Karma or Karma Revero, depending on how far back you want to go, the new “budget” version is available in both GS-6 plug-in hybrid and GS-6e fully electric configurations. That GS-6e is important, too, as it represents Karma’s first pure electric, zero emissions production vehicle. Which, come to think of it, is pretty astonishing for a car company that’s been part of the EV conversation for nearly fifteen years, you know?

That GS-6e carries the $79,990 price tag (before tax incentives) we mentioned above, and will be powered by an 85 kWh battery sending juice to a pair of electric motors at the rear axle. Range and performance figures weren’t given, but the budget Karma will very likely deliver performance figures that would have landed it on the cover of Car and Driver a generation ago, so I’m sure a few tenths here or there won’t matter to anyone choosing the Karma over the heavier-looking Model S or more common and more expensive Porsche Taycan.

What’s perhaps more interesting — or more curious at least — is the fact that Karma’s GS-6 hybrid offering actually carries a higher price than the pure electric version of the same car. Starting at $83,900, the GS-6 uses a BMW-sourced 1.5-liter internal combustion engine as a range-extending generator for its 28-kWh battery pack. That battery is good for providing up to 80 miles (about 130 km) of pure electric driving, with a total range of 360 miles (about 530 km) with the gas engine factored in.

Regardless of which of the new Karma models you’re discussing, there is no question that they are premium products as opposed to something like a Tesla Model 3, which is aimed squarely at mainstream car buyers. Still, it’s a far cry from something like the $150,000+ Revero GT Sports. In fact, it seems to be a price spread more or less mirrored by Mercedes’ S-Class range, which offers powertrains ranging from a V6 hybrid on up to a V12. That’s a fact that doesn’t appear to be lost on Lance Zhou, Karma’s CEO. “Our brand promise at Karma has always been to provide high-end luxury vehicles and technologies that are driven by innovation and inspire our drivers’ ambitions with new and unique offerings,” he said, in a press release. “As we look to the future, we believe we will change the world of mobility by making luxury electric vehicles more accessible.”

I don’t know how accessible a Mercedes S-Class is, but you have to give Karma credit as it goes after Mercedes in markets like the US and China. Whether or not it will succeed in that battle is another matter. Still, I’d like to invite you to check out the photos of Karma’s latest offering for yourself, below, then let us know what you think about Karma’s odds of success in the comments section at the bottom of the page.

Karma GS-6 Image Gallery

Source | Images: Karma.