# Fisker Karma
**Fisker Karma** is a four-door luxury plug-in hybrid sedan produced from 2011 by [Fisker Automotive](https://www.edgepedia.org/fisker-automotive), the electric-vehicle startup founded by Danish designer [Henrik Fisker](https://www.edgepedia.org/henrik-fisker), who also led development of the [BMW Z8](https://www.edgepedia.org/bmw-z8) sports car.[1](https://apnews.com/article/4b5b01887c2b56ddaf7e2c71ef5c0bc0) It paired a battery-electric drivetrain with a gasoline engine used as a range extender, and it was the first product of a company that received a $529 million loan commitment from the U.S. Department of Energy before collapsing into bankruptcy in 2013.[1](https://apnews.com/article/4b5b01887c2b56ddaf7e2c71ef5c0bc0) The car's design and name survived: after the bankruptcy, the Chinese parts supplier Wanxiang took over the assets and created Karma Automotive LLC, which continues to sell updated versions of the car under the Karma brand.[2](https://www.deb.uscourts.gov/sites/deb/files/opinions/fisker-wanxiang-motion-dismiss-opinion-and-order_0.pdf) • [3](https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/a36164817/2021-karma-gs-6-drive/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Type | Four-door luxury plug-in hybrid sedan with a gasoline range extender, launched in 2011[1](https://apnews.com/article/4b5b01887c2b56ddaf7e2c71ef5c0bc0) |
| Electric range | About 50 miles battery-only, with about 300 miles of extended capability per NHTSA's assessment[4](https://www.nhtsa.gov/sites/nhtsa.gov/files/documents/12848-lithiumionsafetyhybrids_101217-v3-tag.pdf) |
| Range extender | 2.0 L engine; rear-wheel-drive EV powertrain[5](https://cordis.europa.eu/docs/projects/cnect/8/288568/080/deliverables/001-D32ReportVehicleSimulatorv1220140227.pdf) |
| Measured performance | 0 to 60 mph in 6.0 seconds in Sport mode and 7.1 seconds in Sustain mode, at a tested curb weight of 5,408 lb[6](https://www.motortrend.com/reviews/2018-karma-revero-first-drive-review) |
| Price | $103,000 for the EcoStandard; $116,000 for the animal-free EcoChic[7](https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/a15121019/2012-fisker-karma-ecochic-road-test-review/) |
| Government financing | $529 million Department of Energy loan commitment; loan suspended in June 2011; the collapse cost taxpayers $139 million[1](https://apnews.com/article/4b5b01887c2b56ddaf7e2c71ef5c0bc0) • [8](https://www.axios.com/2020/07/17/fisker-electric-vehicles-self-driving) |
| Aftermath | Fisker Automotive failed in 2013; Wanxiang and Fisker created Karma Automotive LLC on March 21, 2014[1](https://apnews.com/article/4b5b01887c2b56ddaf7e2c71ef5c0bc0) • [2](https://www.deb.uscourts.gov/sites/deb/files/opinions/fisker-wanxiang-motion-dismiss-opinion-and-order_0.pdf) |
## Powertrain and specifications
The Karma is a series plug-in hybrid: the wheels are driven electrically with rear-wheel drive, while a 2.0 L gasoline engine acts as a generator to extend range.[5](https://cordis.europa.eu/docs/projects/cnect/8/288568/080/deliverables/001-D32ReportVehicleSimulatorv1220140227.pdf) NHTSA's assessment of lithium-ion battery safety in electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles described the Karma as a four-door sedan on the green track that maintains sport and performance, with an anticipated battery-only range of 50 miles and a 300-mile extended capability.[4](https://www.nhtsa.gov/sites/nhtsa.gov/files/documents/12848-lithiumionsafetyhybrids_101217-v3-tag.pdf)
A Spanish road test reported figures confirmed by the German certification organization TÜV: about 80 km of electric range, a six-hour charge on a 220 V connection, and nearly 500 km of total range with a full tank when the battery is nearly depleted. Fuel consumption in Sport mode was 9.2 L/100 km, and the combined figure, complex to calculate because gasoline use is zero in electric mode, was 2.1 L/100 km.[9](https://elpais.com/elpais/2012/09/24/motor/1348500663_961026.html)
**Weight and performance.** The car is heavy. When [Motor Trend](https://www.edgepedia.org/motor-trend) tested the mechanically identical 2012 Fisker Karma at 5,408 pounds, it ran from 0 to 60 mph in 6.0 seconds in Sport mode, about the same as a [Lexus GS](https://www.edgepedia.org/lexus-gs) 350 F Sport, and 7.1 seconds in Sustain mode.[6](https://www.motortrend.com/reviews/2018-karma-revero-first-drive-review) The car wore 255/35R22 front tires and 285/35R22 rear tires.[6](https://www.motortrend.com/reviews/2018-karma-revero-first-drive-review)
## Trim levels and pricing
[Car and Driver](https://www.edgepedia.org/car-and-driver)'s road test of the 2012 Karma EcoChic listed the cheapest version, the EcoStandard, at $103,000, and the top EcoChic model, which used an "animal-free" interior, at $116,000.[7](https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/a15121019/2012-fisker-karma-ecochic-road-test-review/) The test concluded that the four-door was likable and real, and really heavy.[7](https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/a15121019/2012-fisker-karma-ecochic-road-test-review/)
## Market reception
The Karma was positioned against Tesla, and the two companies were frequently compared in contemporary tests. German, Australian, and Polish outlets ran back-to-back drives of the Karma and the [Tesla Model S](https://www.edgepedia.org/tesla-model-s), with Auto Świat judging that despite its more powerful drive the Karma did not match the Model S in dynamics and handling.[10](https://www.auto-swiat.pl/testy/testy-nowych-samochodow/fisker-kontra-tesla-ameryka-pod-napieciem/3wqq3tq) • [11](https://www.autobild.de/artikel/fisker-karma-tesla-model-s-vergleich-7164179.html) • [12](https://www.carsales.com.au/editorial/details/executive-electrics-fisker-karma-vs-tesla-model-s-35130/) In the first quarter of 2012 it was the second-best-selling luxury sedan in the Netherlands, behind the [Porsche Panamera](https://www.edgepedia.org/porsche-panamera) and ahead of the [Audi A8](https://www.edgepedia.org/audi-a8), BMW 7 Series, and Mercedes-Benz S-Class.[9](https://elpais.com/elpais/2012/09/24/motor/1348500663_961026.html)
[Consumer Reports](https://www.edgepedia.org/consumer-reports) noted that given the Karma's cost and tiny sales numbers, it might never have enough samples in its survey to rate the car's reliability.[13](https://www.consumerreports.org/cars/fisker/karma/2012/road-test-report/)
## Recalls and reliability
In 2012 NHTSA issued a high voltage battery recall covering the Karma, part of a recall campaign whose documents note that Fisker Automotive regularly updates technical information.[14](https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2012/RCRIT-12V241-1212.pdf)
## Government loan and bankruptcy
Fisker Automotive received a $529 million loan commitment from the U.S. Department of Energy. Because of the loan's half-billion-dollar terms, Fisker was required to hit a key production milestone; when the company failed to do so, the Energy Department took four months to notice, and in the interim Fisker received a further $32 million from the government before the loan was frozen in June 2011.[1](https://apnews.com/article/4b5b01887c2b56ddaf7e2c71ef5c0bc0) The company's collapse in 2013 cost taxpayers $139 million.[8](https://www.axios.com/2020/07/17/fisker-electric-vehicles-self-driving)
As part of the 2013 restructuring, a rival bid was submitted by Wanxiang, a Chinese maker of auto parts, together with VL Automotive, a venture jointly owned by ex-[General Motors](https://www.edgepedia.org/general-motors) executive Bob Lutz and the Michigan industrialist Gilbert Villarreal.[15](https://graphics.thomsonreuters.com/13/06/Fisker.pdf) Under the eventual Sale Order, Wanxiang and Fisker created Karma Automotive LLC on March 21, 2014; the debtors received common and preferred units representing a 20 percent interest in Karma, and the court confirmed the Second Amended Joint Plan of Liquidation under Chapter 11 on July 28, 2014.[2](https://www.deb.uscourts.gov/sites/deb/files/opinions/fisker-wanxiang-motion-dismiss-opinion-and-order_0.pdf)
## Legacy
The Karma remained in production in updated form under new ownership. Once the model name, Karma is now the brand that sells the heavily updated Fisker creation: the [Karma Revero](https://www.edgepedia.org/karma-revero) followed the original car, and the 2021 Karma GS-6 was described by Car and Driver as the best version of the sedan yet.[3](https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/a36164817/2021-karma-gs-6-drive/) The Karma was also the first of two automotive ventures led by Henrik Fisker to fail; his second company, [Fisker Inc.](https://www.edgepedia.org/fisker-inc), maker of the Ocean electric SUV, filed for bankruptcy protection in June 2024.[1](https://apnews.com/article/4b5b01887c2b56ddaf7e2c71ef5c0bc0) • [16](https://www.axios.com/2024/06/18/fisker-files-bankruptcy-ev-fisker-ocean)
## References
1. [Fisker files for bankruptcy protection, the second electric vehicle maker to do so in the past year, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/4b5b01887c2b56ddaf7e2c71ef5c0bc0)
2. [Fisker Wanxiang motion to dismiss, opinion and order, U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware](https://www.deb.uscourts.gov/sites/deb/files/opinions/fisker-wanxiang-motion-dismiss-opinion-and-order_0.pdf)
3. [2021 Karma GS-6 Fixes the Fisker Karma, Car and Driver](https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/a36164817/2021-karma-gs-6-drive/)
4. [Assessment of Potential Lithium-ion Battery Safety Issues for Electric and Plug-in Hybrid Vehicles, NHTSA](https://www.nhtsa.gov/sites/nhtsa.gov/files/documents/12848-lithiumionsafetyhybrids_101217-v3-tag.pdf)
5. [D3.2 Report Vehicle Simulator, CORDIS project deliverable](https://cordis.europa.eu/docs/projects/cnect/8/288568/080/deliverables/001-D32ReportVehicleSimulatorv1220140227.pdf)
6. [2018 Karma Revero First Drive Review, Motor Trend](https://www.motortrend.com/reviews/2018-karma-revero-first-drive-review)
7. [2012 Fisker Karma EcoChic Road Test, Car and Driver](https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/a15121019/2012-fisker-karma-ecochic-road-test-review/)
8. [Fisker wants to become the Apple of the automotive world, Axios](https://www.axios.com/2020/07/17/fisker-electric-vehicles-self-driving)
9. [Fisker Karma, una nave espacial con ruedas, El País](https://elpais.com/elpais/2012/09/24/motor/1348500663_961026.html)
10. [Fisker kontra Tesla: Ameryka pod napięciem, Auto Świat](https://www.auto-swiat.pl/testy/testy-nowych-samochodow/fisker-kontra-tesla-ameryka-pod-napieciem/3wqq3tq)
11. [Limousinen unter Strom: Tesla Model S trifft auf Fisker Karma, AUTO BILD](https://www.autobild.de/artikel/fisker-karma-tesla-model-s-vergleich-7164179.html)
12. [Fisker Karma vs Tesla Model S 2013 Review, carsales.com.au](https://www.carsales.com.au/editorial/details/executive-electrics-fisker-karma-vs-tesla-model-s-35130/)
13. [2012 Fisker Karma Road Test Report, Consumer Reports](https://www.consumerreports.org/cars/fisker/karma/2012/road-test-report/)
14. [High Voltage Battery Recall, RCRIT-12V241, NHTSA](https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2012/RCRIT-12V241-1212.pdf)
15. [Fisker: A Cautionary Tale, Thomson Reuters graphics](https://graphics.thomsonreuters.com/13/06/Fisker.pdf)
16. [EV startup Fisker files for bankruptcy after suspending production, Axios](https://www.axios.com/2024/06/18/fisker-files-bankruptcy-ev-fisker-ocean)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Technology and the built world › Transport and spaceflight › Road transport › Automobiles › American automobile models*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 15, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026 · Last review: Oct 15, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license