The
new 2020 Revero promises to be faster, smarter, and even more stunning in
design than its predecessor. The all-new Revero, along with Karma’s
Pininfarina-designed concept car and its all-electric Vision concept, will form
the automaker’s “Shanghai Big Three” product announcement at Auto Shanghai
2019. Taken together Karma’s Shanghai Big Three products show the automaker’s
short, medium and long-term vision.
Karma’s
Pininfarina collaboration was announced in January this year and is a major
addition to the automaker’s growing list of strategic business partnerships.
The alignment, and others like it, is expected to play an important role in
Karma’s ‘Value-Forward’ business plan by helping the automaker accelerate
future technology and product development through Pininfarina’s turn-key
automotive experience.
“Karma
is united in spirit with Pininfarina through our shared commitment to stunning
design, and we are excited about the reaction we anticipate the end result of
our partnership will generate,” said Karma CEO, Dr. Lance Zhou.
KARMA’S LATEST INVESTMENT
Karma’s
latest investment of nearly $7.5M resulted in the installation of a new suite
of state-of-the-art powertrain test labs at the company’s global headquarters
in Irvine, Calif. The new equipment
strengthens Karma’s in-house engineering capabilities as the automaker readies
for a period of rapid new product introductions.
The
company’s powertrain engineers will use the labs as a testbed for a variety of
product-development activities including evaluating the performance and
durability of electric motors, generators, and range-extended powertrains.
These new in-house resources strengthen Karma’s product development process by
allowing it to move faster while reducing engineering costs since it won’t have
to use or rely on outside labs for this type of work.
The
new equipment includes a traction dynamometer, electric motor dynamometer, and
an engine/generator test cell used to evaluate powertrain optimization. As part
of a continued employment drive across the company, the Karma Powertrain
Engineering department will support the new dynamometer labs with additional
resources and will be fully operational by mid-year. Karma’s Powertrain Lab
could eventually grow to become a new profit center for the company given the
high demand among various industries for this kind of state-of-the-art testing
facility.
“These
new capabilities will help Karma speed up our product development process, lead
to better performance and durability and protect the intellectual property
that’s critical to our success,” Zhou said, adding that “This investment shows
our commitment to implementing Karma’s vision of becoming a luxury automaker
driven by technology and innovation.”