Karma Automotive is placing a new bet on the space between gasoline cars and fully electric vehicles. The California automaker has priced its 2027 Gyesera Grand Coupe at a base US$139,995, pairing 566 horsepower with an electric-drive system backed by an onboard gasoline generator. The four-seat model is scheduled to reach Karma dealerships in December 2026.
That combination puts the Gyesera into a rapidly changing corner of the auto market. Range-extender electric vehicles, often called EREVs, keep electric motors responsible for propulsion while carrying an engine that can generate electricity when the battery runs low. Once viewed largely as a transitional technology, the concept is attracting fresh attention from brands ranging from Ram and Scout to Ford and Hyundai as manufacturers search for ways to deliver electric driving without making every long trip dependent on charging infrastructure.
US$139,995 Makes the Gyesera a More Aggressive Luxury Proposition
Karma confirmed the Gyesera’s US$139,995 base MSRP on August 12, alongside plans to put the 2027 model into dealerships in December. Online configuration and pre-specification also opened the same day. For an automaker operating in the ultra-luxury market, the figure is notable because Karma had described the Gyesera in August 2025 as a vehicle expected to start at approximately US$165,000. The newly announced sticker price is therefore roughly US$25,000 below that earlier estimate.
The pricing announcement arrives as Karma takes the car back to Monterey Car Week, where low-volume manufacturers routinely compete for the attention of wealthy collectors and performance-car buyers. A special Gyesera wearing a one-off “PB75” treatment is scheduled for the 75th Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, including Electrum Gold paint, distinctive striping and 22-inch wheels. The marketing spectacle matters because Karma is not trying to compete on mainstream volume. It is selling exclusivity, unusual engineering and dramatic design in a segment where a vehicle’s story can matter almost as much as its specification sheet.
566 Horsepower Comes With Serious Performance Numbers
The Gyesera’s electric propulsion system produces 566 horsepower and 546 lb-ft of torque, according to Karma’s latest specifications. The company now lists a 0-to-60-mph time of approximately 3.7 seconds and a 146-mph top speed. Those figures put the car firmly in modern performance territory despite its substantial size and weight. Karma lists curb weight at 5,062 pounds, along with a wheelbase stretching 124.4 inches and an overall length of 199.4 inches.
That combination illustrates one of the attractions of an EREV performance car. The gasoline engine does not need to provide the immediate wheel torque associated with a conventional performance powertrain; electric propulsion handles that job. Karma classifies its system as a series hybrid, meaning gasoline is used to generate electricity while the electric drivetrain provides propulsion. The result is intended to preserve the instant response associated with battery-powered cars even after the engine begins operating. Interestingly, Karma quoted a 4.0-second 0-to-60 time for the Gyesera in 2025. Its current specification is quicker, although the company has not publicly detailed what engineering changes account for the improvement.
An 80-Mile Battery Range Handles the First Part of the Journey
Unlike many high-performance EVs carrying battery packs well above 100 kWh, the Gyesera uses a relatively compact 28.1-kWh battery. Karma lists up to 80 miles of electric-only driving and up to 360 miles of combined range. Its July 2026 explanation of the system breaks that total into as much as 80 miles supplied from the charged battery and another 280 miles available with assistance from the gasoline-powered generator.
That means a routine journey can take place without the engine operating, provided the car begins with sufficient charge and remains within its electric range. Longer trips bring the range extender into play rather than forcing an immediate charging stop. The concept is especially different from a typical short-range plug-in hybrid. The U.S. Department of Energy says many conventional PHEVs provide about 20 to 40 miles of electric driving before gasoline operation becomes necessary. At a claimed 80 miles, the Gyesera is designed to make battery driving a substantial portion of everyday use while keeping gasoline available for distance. Actual range will, as with any electrified vehicle, depend on conditions and driving.
The Gyesera Was Originally Supposed to Be Fully Electric
The Gyesera’s current configuration represents a significant reversal from Karma’s earlier product strategy. When the company introduced its revamped model plan in November 2023, the Gyesera was described as Karma’s first fully battery-electric touring sedan. A March 2024 debut continued that positioning, with Karma discussing a 590-horsepower EV carrying a battery of roughly 120 kWh and targeting more than 250 miles of driving range.
By March 2025, the plan had changed. Karma announced that the Gyesera would arrive as an EREV instead, explicitly saying the decision responded to changes in near-term EV demand and similar reassessments elsewhere in the premium vehicle market. The eventual production specification therefore trades the original enormous battery for a 28.1-kWh pack, gasoline generator and 360-mile combined range. The evolution is a particularly clear example of how quickly electrification plans can change. Rather than abandoning electric propulsion, Karma reduced its dependence on battery capacity and charging availability while preserving electric motors as the driving force. The result is less a retreat to a conventional combustion car than a different interpretation of electrification.
Carbon Fiber and Aluminum Keep the Focus on Exotic-Car Buyers
Karma is wrapping that unusual powertrain in an equally unusual package. The Gyesera uses a high-strength aluminum space frame with carbon fiber and aluminum exterior components. The car is low at just 52.4 inches tall, despite stretching nearly 200 inches from nose to tail. Karma’s current design language includes what it calls the Comet Line running across the body, along with its Target Lighting treatment and available 21- or 22-inch wheels.
Inside, the company has chosen traditional luxury materials rather than turning the cabin into a screen-dominated technology showcase. Bridge of Weir leather is used extensively, while buyers can select premium audio systems from JL Audio or Master & Dynamic. There is still substantial technology: a 12.3-inch digital instrument display, 10.1-inch central screen, wireless charging, over-the-air software updates and driver-assistance functions including adaptive cruise control, blind-spot warning and a 360-degree camera system. For Karma, the objective is clearly not simply maximizing electric range. It is selling a handcrafted grand-tourer experience with electrification embedded underneath it.
Ram and Scout Are Taking Range Extenders Into Trucks and SUVs
Karma is far from alone in reconsidering the usefulness of an onboard generator. Ram’s upcoming 1500 REV uses a 92-kWh battery paired with a 3.6-litre Pentastar V6 and a 130-kW generator. Ram currently targets as much as 690 miles of total driving range, along with 647 horsepower, 610 lb-ft of torque and towing capability reaching 14,000 pounds. The gasoline engine produces power for the electrical system rather than functioning as a conventional drivetrain in the familiar pickup-truck sense.
Volkswagen-backed Scout Motors has made a similar choice with the planned Harvester range-extender option for its Traveler SUV and Terra pickup. Scout says Harvester-equipped vehicles are expected to provide approximately 150 miles of battery-only driving and more than 500 miles of total range. Crucially, Scout states that its engine will not mechanically drive the wheels. These vehicles illustrate why EREVs are attracting particular interest in heavier segments. Trucks and large SUVs may be used for towing, remote travel or long-distance work, situations where charging frequency and energy consumption can become much more important to buyers than during an ordinary urban commute.
Ford and Hyundai Show the Idea Is Moving Beyond Niche Brands
Ford added considerable weight to the trend when it announced that the next generation of the F-150 Lightning would adopt extended-range electric technology. Ford says its planned truck will remain propelled entirely by electric motors while using a high-power generator to support an estimated range exceeding 700 miles. The company has specifically highlighted long-distance towing as an application where generator assistance could reduce the need for lengthy charging stops.
Hyundai has also put EREVs into its longer-term strategy. The Korean manufacturer says its first models using the architecture will arrive beginning in 2027 and target more than 600 miles, or about 960 kilometres, of total range. Hyundai argues that an EREV can deliver full electric-motor performance while using less than half the battery capacity that might otherwise be required. Along with Ram and Scout, those announcements suggest the renewed interest is broader than any single vehicle category. Luxury grand tourers, family SUVs and working pickups are all being considered for the technology, even though their customers and duty cycles differ substantially.
The Compromise Is Range Security, Not the Elimination of Gasoline
The appeal of a range extender comes with an important qualification: an EREV carrying gasoline is not equivalent to a battery-electric vehicle from an emissions perspective whenever its engine is operating. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency notes that vehicles running entirely on electricity have no tailpipe emissions, while plug-in hybrids produce tailpipe emissions when gasoline becomes the energy source. Charging electricity can also carry upstream emissions depending on how the local power grid generates energy.
There are mechanical compromises as well. Adding an engine, fuel system, generator and associated components creates hardware that a pure battery EV does not need. In return, manufacturers can use a smaller battery while giving drivers the option of rapid gasoline refuelling during long journeys. That trade is central to the renewed EREV debate. A Gyesera owner who plugs in regularly could complete many shorter journeys electrically, while still carrying a combustion-powered safety net for a long interstate trip. Whether that balance is preferable to a larger battery will ultimately depend heavily on driving patterns, charging access and priorities.
Karma Is Building a Lineup Around More Than One Electrification Answer
The Gyesera also reveals that Karma is not treating EREVs as its only long-term solution. The company says the Amaris GT will become its second new-generation hybrid EREV, with arrival expected in the fourth quarter of 2027. Karma’s fully electric Kaveya Super Coupe, meanwhile, is now expected in the first quarter of 2028 with more than 1,000 horsepower and pricing of approximately US$400,000.
Kaveya is being developed with Factorial Energy solid-state battery technology, showing how Karma is simultaneously pursuing both generator-backed vehicles and more advanced battery-only models. That split strategy is increasingly representative of an industry reluctant to depend on a single route toward electrification. For now, the Gyesera is the most immediate test. At US$139,995, with 566 horsepower, 80 miles of electric range and gasoline available beyond it, Karma is betting that some luxury buyers want the feel of electric propulsion without designing every journey around a charging stop. A growing list of much larger automakers appears to be reaching a similar conclusion.
