• 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
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
  • Leadership
  • Success
  • Tech
  • Asia
  • Europe
  • Environment
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Health
  • Retail
  • Lifestyle
  • Politics
  • Newsletters
  • Magazine
  • Features
  • Commentary
  • Mpw
  • CEO Initiative
  • Conferences
  • Personal Finance
  • 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
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map

© 2025 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.


Latest in Tech

Paramount
BankingM&A
Warner Bros. is blockbuster finale to $4.5 trillion M&A haul
By Michelle F. Davis, David Carnevali, Ryan Gould, Swetha Gopinath and BloombergDecember 15, 2025
34 minutes ago
slop
CybersecurityCulture
The word of the year is ‘slop,’ Merriam-Webster says
By Anna Furman and The Associated PressDecember 15, 2025
53 minutes ago
C-Suitechief financial officer (CFO)
‘2026 has to be a year of execution’: AI investment pressures, supply-chain risks, and strategy misalignment are all on the line for CFOs
By Alex Zank and CFO BrewDecember 15, 2025
2 hours ago
Photo of Jim Farley
North AmericaAutos
Ford is scrapping the all-electric F-150 Lightning and other big EVs amid a scramble to find a winning electric formula that will cost $19.5 billion
By Sasha RogelbergDecember 15, 2025
2 hours ago
InnovationElectric vehicles
Rivian CEO says the EV maker’s new large driving model will one day allow for fully autonomous driving—and maybe a spot in the robotaxi race
By Jordyn Grzelewski and Tech BrewDecember 15, 2025
3 hours ago
Big TechMeta
Former Meta integrity chief says new report reveals ‘disappointing’ ad fraud epidemic at the social media giant
By Lily Mae LazarusDecember 15, 2025
4 hours ago

Most Popular

placeholder alt text
Success
'I had to take 60 meetings': Jeff Bezos says 'the hardest thing I've ever done' was raising the first million dollars of seed capital for Amazon
By Dave SmithDecember 15, 2025
7 hours ago
placeholder alt text
Success
Meetings are not work, says Southwest Airlines CEO—and he’s taking action, by blocking his calendar every afternoon from Wednesday to Friday 
By Preston ForeDecember 15, 2025
8 hours ago
placeholder alt text
Success
Sorry, six-figure earners: Elon Musk says that money will 'disappear' in the future as AI makes work (and salaries) irrelevant
By Orianna Rosa RoyleDecember 15, 2025
10 hours ago
placeholder alt text
Uncategorized
Transforming customer support through intelligent AI operations
By Lauren ChomiukNovember 26, 2025
19 days ago
placeholder alt text
AI
Deloitte's CTO on a stunning AI transformation stat: Companies are spending 93% on tech and only 7% on people
By Nick LichtenbergDecember 15, 2025
13 hours ago
placeholder alt text
Real Estate
A 'new era' in the housing market is about to begin as affordability finally improves 'for the first time in a bunch of years,' economist says
By Jason MaDecember 14, 2025
1 day ago