Future Cars: 2023 Karma GX-1 SUV Should Be the Company’s Volume Seller
Expect a starting price in the mid-$80,000s when it goes on sale next year.
WHAT IT IS: The GX-1 will be the first SUV from Karma, manufacturer of the Revero and upcoming GS-6 plug-in hybrid sedans, as well as the GSe-6 electric car. The GX-1 will launch as a battery-powered SUV, with a range-extended plug-in hybrid (PHEV) powertrain to follow, and possibly a hydrogen fuel cell-powered variant.
WHY IT MATTERS: Although electric cars have traditionally been, er, cars, every automaker knows SUVs are where the market is growing quickest. Karma, which rose from Fisker's bankrupt ashes, already makes a line of sexy, high-end plug-in hybrid sedans based on the Fisker Karma. However, judged by its patent images, the GX-1 electric SUV could be the company's big seller.
PLATFORM AND POWERTRAIN: Modern car design trends toward powered platforms that can be topped with different "hats," so we expect the GX-1 will be based closely on the machinery that underpins the GS-6 and GSe-6. Karma plans both electric and PHEV versions of the GX-1, and we expect powertrains and battery options that echo those of the GS cars, including an 85-kWh battery that provides about 230 miles of range and a 105-kWh pack with 300-plus miles. (Those ranges could be shorter in the GX-1 due to its greater bulk.) The GS-6 PHEV gets a dual-motor drive delivering 536 hp and 550 lb-ft of torque, with 54-61 miles of EPA-rated range and a three-cylinder BMW engine as a range extender. We expect to see that powertrain, or something similar, in the plug-in GX-1. Karma also plans to show a hydrogen version of the GX-1, though we don't know if it's slated for production.
ESTIMATED PRICE: When it launched the GS-6 and GSe-6, Karma told us there was limited space in the six-figure segment where the Revero plays, so the GS cars are slated to go on sale with prices in the mid-$80,000s. We expect the GX-1 to sell for a similar sum. But we won't be surprised to see a six-figure high-performance version.
EXPECTED ON-SALE DATE: Karma says it will launch a two-row, battery-powered version of the GX-1 in late 2022, followed by a three-row version and the plug-in hybrid.