You’ve probably seen one. It’s low. It’s incredibly wide. It looks like a concept car that accidentally escaped a designer’s sketchbook and somehow ended up in a suburban driveway. That’s the Fisker Karma.
Henrik Fisker, the man behind the Aston Martin DB9 and BMW Z8, wanted to prove that "green" didn't have to mean "boring." He mostly succeeded on the looks, but the business side was a disaster. Honestly, the story of the Fisker Karma car models is less about a vehicle and more about a beautiful, expensive Greek tragedy on wheels.
It arrived in 2011. It was gone by 2012.
The Three Flavors of the Original Fisker Karma
When people talk about the "models" of the Fisker Karma, they are usually referring to the trim levels of the 2011-2012 production run. Fisker didn't have time to build a massive lineup. They were just trying to keep the lights on.
EcoStandard
This was the "base" model. If you can call a $102,000 car basic. It had the same EVer (Electric Vehicle with extended range) powertrain as the others, but the interior was a bit more traditional.
EcoSport
The mid-tier option moved the needle toward a more premium feel. It was the most common version you’d see on the road back then. Most of these came with the "Diamond Dust" paint, which actually used recycled glass flakes to catch the light. It’s pretty stunning in person.
EcoChic
This was the flagship. It’s the one Leonardo DiCaprio famously drove. The "Chic" part meant it was 100% animal-free. No leather. Instead, they used "Ultrasuede" and authentic leaf fossils embedded in the glass inserts of the center console. Seriously. Real leaves.
✨ Don't miss: How to Charge My Apple Pencil: Why It’s Not Always as Obvious as You’d Think
What’s Under That Miles-Long Hood?
The engineering is where things get weird. The Karma is a series hybrid. Basically, it’s a giant electric slot car that carries its own gas-powered generator.
The rear wheels are pushed by two electric motors. Together, they dump out 403 horsepower and a massive 959 lb-ft of torque. You’d think that would make it a rocket. It isn't. Because the car weighs about 5,300 pounds—roughly the same as a Chevy Tahoe—it takes about 6 seconds to hit 60 mph. It’s more of a locomotive than a sprinter.
The range extender is a 2.0-liter turbocharged GM Ecotec engine. It doesn't drive the wheels. It just spins a generator to keep the 20kWh battery alive. On a good day, you get maybe 32 to 50 miles of pure electric range. After that, the "raspy" four-cylinder kicks in, and the luxury vibe takes a bit of a hit. It's loud.
The Forgotten Siblings: Surf and Sunset
Fisker had big plans. At the 2009 Detroit Auto Show, they showed off the Fisker Sunset. It was a gorgeous two-door hardtop convertible based on the Karma’s bones.
💡 You might also like: Universal Car Air Conditioning System: Why Your Project Car Is Still Hot
Then came the Fisker Surf in 2011. Imagine a Fisker Karma shooting brake—a sleek, sporty wagon. It was supposed to be the more "practical" version. Of course, neither ever made it to customers. The company’s battery supplier, A123 Systems, went bankrupt, and Hurricane Sandy destroyed a massive shipment of cars at a Newark port. The universe basically said "no."
The Rebirth: Karma Automotive and the Revero
Here is where it gets confusing. Fisker Automotive died in 2013. A Chinese company called Wanxiang Group bought the scraps. They didn't buy the "Fisker" name (Henrik kept that for his next failed venture, Fisker Inc.), but they bought the car.
They rebranded as Karma Automotive. The car was renamed the Karma Revero.
If you see a "Fisker" that looks brand new in 2026, it’s almost certainly a Revero. The new company fixed a lot of the original’s sins. They swapped the glitchy infotainment for something that actually works. They eventually ditched the GM engine for a BMW three-cylinder turbo.
The Current 2026 Landscape
As of right now, the lineup has evolved even further:
- Karma Revero: The classic silhouette, refined.
- Karma Gyesera: A fully electric version of the original design.
- Karma Kaveya: A futuristic electric super-coupe that looks like it belongs in Cyberpunk 2077.
Real Talk: Is It Actually a Good Car?
If you are thinking about buying a used 2012 Fisker Karma today, you need to be a bit of a masochist. Or a collector.
The interior is tiny. Despite the car being as long as a Mercedes S-Class, the back seats are cramped. The trunk is hilarious—you can barely fit a golf bag in there because the high-voltage hardware takes up all the space.
But the road presence? Unmatched.
Even 15 years after it was designed, people still stop and stare. It is arguably one of the most beautiful sedans ever made. Just know that the parts supply is a scavenger hunt and the software can be... temperamental.
Actionable Next Steps for Enthusiasts
If you're hunting for one of these, don't just buy the first cheap one you see on a used car site for $25,000.
- Check the Battery Health: Early A123 batteries had recall issues. Ensure the car has the updated cooling internal fixes.
- Verify the VCI: The Vehicle Control Interface is the brain. If it hasn't been updated or serviced by a specialist, you're looking at a very heavy paperweight.
- Join the Community: Look for the "Fisker Buzz" forums. Since the original manufacturer is long gone, the owners are the ones who have figured out how to swap parts from GMs and Saabs to keep these things running.
- Look at the Karma Revero GT: If you want the look without the 2012-era headaches, the 2020+ Revero GT models use a BMW powertrain that is significantly more reliable and faster.