• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
TechFisker

Electric Car Maker Fisker Has a New Name

By
Katie Fehrenbacher
Katie Fehrenbacher
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Katie Fehrenbacher
Katie Fehrenbacher
Down Arrow Button Icon
April 25, 2016, 7:21 PM ET
<h1>February</h1>
Troubled startup Fisker Automotive seeks to form a strategic partnership with either a Chinese automaker or a Chinese battery maker so it can continue to market its made-in-Finland hybrids. Meanwhile, uncertain about the demand for his $100,000 electric sedan causes Tesla founder Elon Musk to refinance his $475 million U.S. loan and sell advertising space on his SpaceX rockets.
<h1>February</h1> Troubled startup Fisker Automotive seeks to form a strategic partnership with either a Chinese automaker or a Chinese battery maker so it can continue to market its made-in-Finland hybrids. Meanwhile, uncertain about the demand for his $100,000 electric sedan causes Tesla founder Elon Musk to refinance his $475 million U.S. loan and sell advertising space on his SpaceX rockets.Courtesy: Fisker Automotive

Fisker Automotive, the failed and relaunched luxury electric car startup, has renamed itself and the electric car it plans to sell later this year.

The company is now called Karma Automotive, a nod to its original electric car called the Karma, according to the Wall Street Journal. The rebranded company, now owned by Wanxiang, will call its first luxury electric car the Revero.

The move isn’t all that surprising considering the original company went bankrupt three years ago after only delivering 2,000 electric cars that were plagued with mechanical, software, and battery problems. Chinese auto parts company Wanxiang America acquired the company out of bankruptcy.

The Revero will use a design based on the original Karma car including the sports car curves first conceived by Fisker founder Henrik Fisker, according to the Wall Street Journal (read about what designer Henrik Fisker is up to these days). But the Revero car will also use new electric car technology and components from BMW.

For more on info on Henrik Fisker watch our video.

The company now has 500 employees, many whom are working at Karma Automotive’s headquarters in Costa Mesa, Calif., in Orange County. It plans to produce the car in the U.S.—unlike its predecessor, which handled early manufacturing in Finland—in a factory an hour outside of Los Angeles in Moreno Valley.

It remains to be seen just how enthusiastic electric car customers will be to buy the Revero. While there was a lot of interest in the original Karma car’s sleek design, the company shocked many in becoming one of the largest startup failures in history.

The company raised close to $1.2 billion, some funds from well-known Silicon Valley venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins, and tapped into a close to $200 million loan from the U.S. Department of Energy. When Fisker started to struggle and couldn’t repay the government funds it became a political punching bag, and a talking points for the Obama administration’s critics.

Get Data Sheet, Fortune’s technology newsletter.

On the other hand, electric cars are starting to become increasingly popular, thanks to a path paved by early car makers like Tesla (TSLA), Nissan and GM. Recently Tesla received close to 400,000 reservations for its new $35,000 car the Model 3, which won’t be delivered until the end of 2017.

Other startups are coming out of the woodwork with new electric cars, some with high end luxury ambitions like Karma Automotive. If the Revero is similar to the original Karma, it’ll cost over $100,000. Another Silicon Valley startup called Renovo Motors is building a high end electric super car. Meanwhile, startup Faraday Future which is backed by a Chinese tech billionaire, plans to build luxury electric cars at a factory in Nevada.

Owner Wanxiang may be Karma Automotive’s best asset. Wanxiang has invested in other electric car technology over the years, has deep pockets, and has connections with distributors in China, which will is expected to become one of the word’s largest markets for electric cars.

About the Author
By Katie Fehrenbacher
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Tech

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
Fortune Secondary Logo
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Tech

Startups & VentureDepartment of Defense
Exclusive: The Pentagon is committing $150M to a maritime tech VC fund and appears to be ramping up venture deals
By Jessica MathewsMarch 5, 2026
2 minutes ago
office
Future of WorkLabor
‘The ideal number of human employees inside of any company is zero’: why AI gives company owners what they think they want
By Nick LichtenbergMarch 5, 2026
14 minutes ago
NewslettersFortune Tech
Like OpenAI, Google’s AI chatbot is being accused of wrongful death in a tragic story
By Alexei OreskovicMarch 5, 2026
44 minutes ago
Studio portrait of Leopold Aschenbrenner
Investinghedge fund
Why Leopold Aschenbrenner’s AI hedge fund is betting big on power companies and bitcoin miners to fuel the ‘superintelligence’ race
By Sharon GoldmanMarch 5, 2026
3 hours ago
InvestingFinance
SpaceX is poised to raise more money in its IPO than was raised in last year’s 90 IPOs, combined
By Shawn TullyMarch 5, 2026
3 hours ago
AsiaSouth Korea
Korean startup wrtn is on track to pass $100M in annual recurring revenue, riding a loneliness epidemic-fueled boom in AI entertainment
By Nicholas GordonMarch 5, 2026
3 hours ago

Most Popular

placeholder alt text
Health
Palantir and other tech companies are stocking offices with tobacco products to increase worker productivity
By Catherina GioinoMarch 4, 2026
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Success
Uber CEO says his ‘really demanding’ work culture includes expecting employees to answer his emails over the weekend: ‘Don’t come here if you want to coast’
By Emma BurleighMarch 4, 2026
19 hours ago
placeholder alt text
Real Estate
Meet a burned out 28-year-old who pays $168 a month in China's faux Venice to retire early from her Shanghai finance gig
By Albee Zhang and The Associated PressMarch 2, 2026
3 days ago
placeholder alt text
Cybersecurity
Cities join Amazon in cutting ties with license-plate reader Flock following Ring's Super Bowl ad—that Flock 'didn't have anything to do with'
By Catherina GioinoMarch 3, 2026
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Personal Finance
Current price of gold as of March 3, 2026
By Danny BakstMarch 3, 2026
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Success
Tech investor Bill Gurley says workers who went through the ‘college conveyor belt’ and chased safe jobs are at high risk of AI automation
By Emma BurleighMarch 3, 2026
2 days ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.