Karma Eximius 1: One-Off Four-Seat Hybrid With 895 kW

Karma Eximius 1: a 1,200 hp Plug-In Hybrid V8 Built for One Client

Karma Automotive has revealed the Eximius 1, a one-off four-seat track car with a plug-in hybrid V8 and a combined output of about 895 kW (1,200 hp). It is the first of nine bespoke cars that the Californian company is building for individual clients and is due for delivery in 2027, Carscoops reported on 1 November.

Key takeaways

Series plug-in hybrid with a 6.2-litre V8: 410 kW (550 hp) from the engine, 485 kW (650 hp) from the electric motors.

0-97 km/h (60 mph) in 2.7 seconds and a top speed above 322 km/h (200 mph).

Four Recaro bucket seats, carbon-fibre body parts and 21-inch magnesium wheels.

One-off build, delivery in 2027, price not disclosed.

A bespoke programme for nine clients

Karma, which grew out of the assets of the original Fisker Automotive, has launched a programme of nine special commissions, each a single car. The Eximius 1 is the first. Chief executive Marques McCammon said it "began as a conversation with an elite client who loves their Karma Revero", the plug-in hybrid saloon that descended from the Fisker Karma.

The car is styled as a far more aggressive Gyesera, Karma's current four-door model. It keeps that car's glasshouse, roofline, lights and doors, but gains new bumpers with diagonal daytime running lights, a vented bonnet, carbon-fibre wheel-arch extensions, wider sills with fins, a large diffuser and a fixed rear wing. The paint is Borealis Blue with white graphics and areas of bare carbon fibre.

Powertrain and chassis

The hybrid system works as a series hybrid, with the 6.2-litre V8 rated at 410 kW (550 hp) and the electric motors at 485 kW (650 hp). Karma quotes about 895 kW (1,200 hp) combined, 0-97 km/h (60 mph) in 2.7 seconds and a top speed above 322 km/h (200 mph). Torque, battery capacity, electric range and weight have not been published. For comparison, the Gyesera now uses a range-extender set-up with 422 kW (566 hp).

Carscoops believes the car keeps the aluminium spaceframe from the Fisker era. It adds semi-active Ohlins suspension, wider tracks, carbon-ceramic brakes with two-piece slotted discs and 21-inch magnesium wheels.

A four-seat cabin with a racing theme

Inside are four Recaro bucket seats trimmed in Borealis Blue and Moondust Alcantara, plenty of carbon fibre and a motorsport-style emergency kill switch on the centre console. A custom carbon racing helmet is mounted between the rear seats.

What it means

The Eximius 1 will not be repeated, so its interest lies in the business model. A small maker with modest volumes is turning to one-off commissions, a route already used by Pagani and others, to earn more per car. Carscoops expects it to be the most expensive Karma yet, although the price remains private. Eight more commissions should follow, and their pace will show whether wealthy clients trust a smaller American brand with such projects.

Read about the history of Fisker, whose Karma saloon started the story, or the Fisker Ocean.