Key Takeaways
- Karma revealed the Ivara GT-UV Design Study at Monterey Car Week.
- The Design Study showcases unique styling cues that will be adopted by future Karma vehicles.
- The Ivara will be offered as a battery-electric vehicle and a range-extender plug-in hybrid.
The 2024 Monterey Car Week was the chosen location for many showstopper reveals. Aside from a new Lamborghini, several restomods, and the first-ever Maybach SL, among others, electric automaker Karma also debuted the striking Ivara GT-UV Design Study.
The GT-UV – which refers to Grand Touring Utility Vehicle – is a preview of what’s to come from the luxury marque. The unique four-seater features dramatic styling and looks unlike anything we’ve come to expect from the luxury SUV/crossover class. Despite the increased ground clearance, the Ivara’s body lines have more in common with svelte sports coupes. There’s a hint of the Ferrari Purosangue and Lotus Eletre in the styling, but overall, the Ivara is a unique proposition.
Monterey Car Week
Monterey Car Week is a collection of events held over the same 10-14-day period annually in Monterey, California, usually starting in the second week of August. Combining the best concourse events, auctions, heritage displays, motorsport events, and new car reveals, it’s a complete automotive takeover of the Monterey Peninsula where the wealthy bring out their most prized vehicles and automakers pull out all the stops to reach wealthy clientele.
- Location
- California, USA
- Dates
- August
- First Held
- 1950 (first Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance)
- Event Frequency
- Annually
- Notable Events
- Motorlux; Legends of the Autobahn; The Quail, A Motorsports Gathering; Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance; Corkscrew Hillclimb
Styled To Look Like A High-Riding Supercar
As this is a design study, styling cues seen here will almost certainly make their way to future Karma vehicles. The front fascia, for example, is said to “reflect the new face of Karma Automotive.” With no grille and sleek concealed headlights, the front end boasts a supercar-like nose and hood, which sits at odds with the elevated ride height.
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Overall, it’s a very clean and uncluttered design. The full-length panoramic glass roof forms part of the windscreen and flows to the svelte rear end, where you’ll find a fastback-esque treatment. Karma notes the Ivara features a protective matte undertray with self-healing paint. It has microscopic segments that “create a rebound effect from lesser impacts.”
“Auburn, Duesenberg, and Packard are Karma Automotive’s inspiration because they harken back to an era we aim to repeat, an era when American ultra-luxury set the benchmark for the world, and when the steep prices they commanded were justified not only by the beauty and speed of their cars, but also their brains and engineering prowess found nowhere else in the industry. The intellect of Karma’s vehicles will be several steps ahead, creating distinctive, unique, and engaging automobiles which return a valid paradigm of value that’s been absent from the ultra-luxury segment for nearly a century.”
– Marques McCammon, Karma Automotive President
Battery Electric And Range Extender Powertrains Will Be Offered
Karma is yet to confirm anything, but company President Marques McCammon said the Ivara is being developed as a battery-electric vehicle and as a range-extender plug-in hybrid, “potentially with a charge port aft of the front driver’s side wheel, flanked by a gasoline cap on the other.” There are no power figures, but we expect the Ivara will produce around 1,000 horsepower, to keep it competitive against its aforementioned rivals.
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The Ivara GT-UV will make use of the Software-Defined Vehicle Architecture (SDVA) that will make its debut in the new Kaveya. Co-developed with Intel Automotive, the SDVA will be used on all new Karma vehicles. The new electric architecture will simplify things, with a centralized computer system controlling everything, as opposed to multiple control units performing certain tasks. Pricing is yet to be announced, but we wouldn’t be surprised if the Ivara is positioned between $150,000 and $200,000.
Kaveya’s Production-Ready Interior Finally Previewed
Aside from the Ivara, Karma also previewed the production-ready interior of the Kaveya that was unveiled last year. The electric super coupe will reportedly offer 1,000 horsepower and arrive in 2026 with a $300,000 price tag. The interior – accessed through attention-grabbing butterfly doors – is covered in fine materials such as leather, suede, and gloss black trim. Metallic elements shine orange and blue, while the leather – finished in Midnight Blue – is said to conjure “the vastness of outer space.” The Kaveya will also have a Master & Dynamic in-car audio system.