New Fisker Karma will be pretty familiar

«It’s all the same, only the names have changed,» Jon Bon Jovi memorably sang, and it sure will apply to
the next incarnation of the Fisker Karma. That’s what the
rumor mill says, anyway. A writer identified as JCMorrill on the
Fisker forum
Fisker Buzz says he (or she) has gotten some information by spending a «couple hours last week with the managers setting up the new factory.» Anyone who liked the old
Fisker Karma (perhaps not its creditors) will be pleased.

That’s because there doesn’t seem to be a ton of changes in store for the extended-range
plug-in hybrid, which is now known as
Karma (China-based parent Wanxiang has ditched the «Fisker» badge, which remains attached to the coachbuilding company run by Henrik Fisker). The 2.0-liter powertrain will be the same,
as will that 33-mile all-electric range and 240-mile total range. The company’s not going to mess much with the sedan’s sleek looks, either, according to the Tuesday post on
Fisker Buzz. The
brakes will actually be downgraded a tad, and the dash displays will be updated. There will be some driver-assist features added, including some braking and cruise-control features. Given that the
new car will sport a price tag estimated to be $135,000, there better be.

The Fisker Karma was last produced in 2012 before the company went bankrupt. Wanxiang
acquired the company’s assets in 2014.
Rechristened Karma Automotive last year, the company has built a Southern California factory and could re-introduce the model as soon as some time later this year.

Meanwhile, Mr. Fisker himself said earlier this year that he was
teaming up with Bob Lutz and Gilbert Villarreal to re-imagine the Karma as a high-performance sedan powered by the 6.2-liter V8
Corvette ZR1 engine. The collaboration, called VLF Automotive, showed off the latest version of their alternative Karma at the
Detroit Auto Show and said at the time that the car would retail for a cool $229,000.