Karma Automotive has ambitious plans. While the California-based automaker currently builds and sells one model, the Revero gasoline-electric plug-in hybrid sedan, it continues to show off potential future products in the way of concept cars. This includes the slinky GT coupe, as well as the SC1 and SC2 sports cars. 

Yet, patent images submitted to the United States Patent and Trademark Office reveal Karma also has plans to produce an SUV. Only time will tell if the vehicle in these images materializes as a concept car or a ready-to-sell production vehicle. Given the sales momentum behind SUVs, we wager this taller Karma sees production before the GT, SC1, or SC2 ever do. 

Assuming Karma manages to produce and sell an SUV like the one seen in these patent pictures, the brand will likely forgo the strictly plug-in powertrain of the Revero for a dedicated battery-electric setup. In other words, Karma’s SUV will almost certainly attempt to steal attention (and sales) away from competing products such as the Ford Mustang Mach-E, Tesla Model Y, and the forthcoming Fisker Ocean, the latter of which is the creation of Henrik Fisker, the same person who brought the Fisker Karma to fruition—the very vehicle that eventually became the Karma Revero.

Like the Revero, the Karma SUV in these images appears to trade the tall and airy greenhouses of its electric competitors for low-slung looks and wide haunches. A long hood likely hides a sizable “frunk” (front trunk), although it wouldn’t surprise us if Fisker also offers a plug-in hybrid variant of the SUV with a small displacement engine under the hood—possibly the same BMW-sourced turbocharged three-cylinder that’s offered in the Revero.

Similarly, we wager the most performance-oriented variant of Karma SUV will offer comparable acceleration figures to the quickest Revero, which Karma claims goes from 0-60 mph in 3.9 seconds. That said, we assume the SUV won’t match the Revero’s six-figure price tag. We guess the SUV, should Karma sell it, stickers for less than the brand’s upcoming GSe-6 sedan, which is due to start at right around $80,000.

Admittedly, all of this is merely conjecture on our part. What we do know, though, is that if Karma seeks to improve its position in the automotive marketplace, then the company would be wise to produce and sell an SUV like the one in these patent images.

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