2025 Review Ssangyong: Latest Updates and Analysis

2025 KGM SsangYong Actyon review: Quick drive

KGM SsangYong is at one and the same time a brand trying to reinvent itself and yet also remind us that it’s been around a long time. In fact, the enterprise last year celebrated 70 years of making cars (although in 1954 it started as Dong-A Motors — name changes are nothing new under the sun).

The SsangYong name came along in the 1980s, as the brand started to go global alongside fellow Korean expansionists Hyundai, Kia and Daewoo.

While Hyundai and Kia headed for the upper reaches of the sales charts, though, SsangYong stalled and had to be bought out. More than once. The first time was by Daewoo, which was itself bought out (and eventually dumped) by General Motors. Then China’s SAIC had a go, before India’s Mahindra took over the brand.

That effort collapsed too, and so in 2022 SsangYong was bought out by the vast KG Group, a Korean conglomerate with interests in everything from steelmaking to coffee shops. Globally, SsangYong has now rebranded as KG Mobility, except here in Australia, where the SsangYong part of name remains.

Not satisfied with keeping the SsangYong name around, KGM SsangYong has also dipped into its own back catalogue for the badge for this new mid-sized SUV, the Actyon.

Originally launched in 2005 as a fastback SUV — one of the first such models, as it happens — the original Actyon was, let’s face it, not much cop. But KGM SsangYong clearly figures that the name, which also appeared on the old Actyon Sports ute, still has value.

Now, the Actyon — you can pronounce is as ‘Action’ or ‘Ack-Tee-on’ — is a slick-looking mid-sized SUV that’s both visually and mechanically related to the not long ago released SsangYong Torres with which KGM SsangYong kicked off its rebranding.

It’s a genuinely handsome SUV, smoother and sleeker at the rear than the chunkier Torres, with similar styling at the front. Longer, wider but lower than the Torres, SsangYong says the Actyon measures 4740mm long (+40mm), making it longer than the [website] Toyota RAV4, as well as 1920mm wide (+30mm) and 1680mm tall (-40mm).

There’s a neat design touch in the light-up panel at the front, which attributes a three-bar motif that’s supposed to remind you of the South Korean flag — KGM SsangYong is keen not to be confused with Chinese brands — but that might be a touch too subtle for anyone other than a professional geographer.

Apart from its different rear roofline and LED lighting, the Actyon also attributes restyled bumpers and rides on larger 20-inch alloy wheel than the Torres.

How much does the KGM SsangYong Actyon cost?

We don’t have Australian market pricing for the Actyon as yet, but the likelihood is that it will be a little pricier than the Torres, which ranges from $38,000 in front-wheel drive form to $47,000 in all-wheel drive guise (before on-road costs), as the Actyon is supposed to be the first step on the brand’s slightly upmarket push.

It’ll probably start from around $45,000 or so, putting it in the same ballpark as a Volkswagen Tiguan or Honda CR-V.

While the Actyon doesn’t have the badge appeal nor mechanical sophistication to compete with those models, it should come very well-equipped, with a standard surround-view camera system, front and rear heated seats, dual-zone climate control, two [website] digital screens on the dashboard, and leather upholstery.

To see how the KGM SsangYong Actyon lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool.

What is the KGM SsangYong Actyon like on the inside?

If anyone remembers the original Actyon, then they probably remember its staggeringly brittle plastic interior, which felt like large chunks could start coming off in your hand without warning. This Actyon is not like that.

Not like that at all, as it happens, as the new Actyon has, pretty much without question, the most impressive interior we’ve seen from a SsangYong-branded product since… well, ever.

The twin [website] screens stretch out across the dash in a similar fashion to those seen in Kia and Hyundai models, and they look good. The instrument screen uses graphics not unlike those of a BMW X3, and the display is crisp and easy to use.

KGM SsangYong has also made it blessedly easy to switch off the – often incorrect – automatic speed limit warning, which just requires a swipe downward from the top of the central infotainment screen and a press of one icon.

However, the rest of the touchscreen is less impressive, as it’s not the most responsive system around, and many of the menus and on-screen buttons are fiddly to use.

The Actyon really suffers from the almost total lack of physical switchgear. The only such controls in the cabin are the electric window switches and the buttons on the steering wheel.

In fairness, these are good to use, and simple, but even the addition of a shortcut button on the wheel, which is supposed to help you navigate more speedily around the screen, doesn’t really help.

Thankfully, there’s standard-fit Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, plus wireless phone charging, but the Actyon is yet another modern car that really needs some old-fashioned buttons.

At least the rest of the cabin is good. The front seats are covered in nice, smooth Nappa leather (the real stuff, too) and come with neat little quilted sections up top, under the head restraints.

The dashboard too gets some nice materials, including a soft suede-like fabric that comes with contrast red stitching. There’s even a pleasant slice of wood trim, although that’s ruined a bit by a gammy panel gap three-quarters of the way across the dash.

The hexagonal steering wheel is a little bit strange to look at, but it and the mock-crystal gear selector are both everyday touchpoints to which KGM SsangYong has paid clear and close attention.

There’s good storage both under the front seat armrest and in an open area beneath the centre console, two good cupholders and large door bins – although their lack of lining means items will rattle around.

Back-seat passengers enjoy lots of legroom and headroom, and more useful storage in the shape of decent seatback pockets and Kia-style integrated coat hangers in the backs of the front seat head restraints. The rear seats also recline by up to 32 degrees.

Behind them the boot is exceptionally roomy, at 668 litres up to the luggage cover. The boot shape is a little odd – shallow and long – but it’s certainly useful.

That presented, the seats-down volume of 1568 litres is a touch disappointing, and there’s little under-floor storage. The Actyon has a standard powered tailgate with a kick sensor, but as ever with such things it’s a bit hit-and-miss.

To see how the KGM SsangYong Actyon lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool.

For the moment, the Actyon comes with only one engine – a [website] four-cylinder turbocharged petrol unit making up to 120kW of power and 280Nm of torque.

There’s no hybrid version, no plug-in hybrid and no prospect of a fully electric version as KGM SsangYong expects to take its time adopting EV power, and anyway the existing Torres has an electric version in international markets. Here in Australia, the Torres shares the Actyon’s [website] engine, and much of the structure under the bodywork too.

To see how the KGM SsangYong Actyon lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool.

How does the KGM SsangYong Actyon drive?

At first, the Actyon feels pretty positive to drive. The [website] engine is no powerhouse, but it’s lively enough and the on-paper [website] 0-100km/h time feels a little pessimistic once you’re behind the wheel.

Low-speed refinement is excellent – KGM SsangYong was keen to point out the Actyon’s extra noise-suppressing material – and the engine only becomes loud when you ask for full-on acceleration, and even then it’s not too bad.

The steering feels nicely weighted, even if it’s not really up to telling you much about what’s happening under the wheels, and so it all feels good.

That does fade a bit once you start introducing the Actyon to some bumps. The springs are just too firm, and the damping isn’t up to filtering out the worst effects of a poor road surface either.

Given the traditional appeal of KGM SsangYong products to farmers and rural types, you’d have thought that the Actyon would have been given softer, longer-travel suspension, but sadly it’s been saddled with a setup that tries to be sporting but just ends up being too hard-riding.

Find a smoother patch of road, and the Actyon starts to feel good again, but then you come up against its biggest dynamic limitation – front-end traction.

Perhaps it was a tyre issue (although our test cars came with Michelin rubber) and perhaps it was down to the chilly temperatures in which our UK-based test drive took place, but the Actyon has some significant issues in putting down its power.

Even with only 280Nm of torque, the front tyres can be easily spun-up into unruly scrambling and the traction control is lazy about putting a stop to that. Fast corners too easily leave the Actyon fighting for front-end grip if you over-cook things even slightly. Drive gently and it’s less of a problem, but keen drivers will find this frustrating.

It would certainly make you wonder how well the Actyon would cope away from tarmac. Traditionally, KGM SsangYong models have been pretty rugged in this respect, but this traction issue doesn’t bode well.

Even so, the Actyon comes with hill descent control, decent ground clearance and a 300mm wading depth as standard.

To see how the KGM SsangYong Actyon lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool.

Australian prices and specs aren’t set yet.

2025 KGM SsangYong Actyon equipment highlights:

To see how the KGM SsangYong Actyon lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool.

The Actyon is as yet untested by ANCAP or Euro NCAP, so we can’t tell you how its safety levels have been independently judged.

However, one benefit of being part of the vast KGM Group is that it includes a steelmaking organization, and so the Actyon benefits from a large amount of high-strength steel in its structure. KGM SsangYong asserts that this, along with a comprehensive airbag and electronic safety count, should mean that the Actyon is a safe car.

Forward collision warning and automatic emergency braking.

Adaptive cruise control with speed limiter.

To see how the KGM SsangYong Actyon lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool.

How much does the KGM SsangYong Actyon cost to run?

This is an area where the Actyon could be tripped up by its lack of hybrid assistance.

The [website] engine is pretty thirsty – averaging [website] litres per 100km officially, and we saw more like 10L/100km on an admittedly short test route. That kind of thirst could lead to big fuel bills, which you could potentially side-step with a hybrid-engined rival.

The Actyon will get the usual KGM SsangYong Australia warranty – seven years and unlimited mileage.

To see how the KGM SsangYong Actyon lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool.

CarExpert’s Take on the KGM SsangYong Actyon.

There are some notable flaws for the Actyon to work around – the traction issue, the engine’s thirst, the overly firm ride quality and the fiddly infotainment system – but as a first step towards a slightly more upmarket image for the brand, the Actyon is broadly successful.

It’s good looking, has a handsome and roomy cabin, and a massive boot. With the right pricing, this could be a considerable success for KGM SsangYong, and another worthwhile addition to Australia’s already-booming mid-sized SUV market.

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2025 Toyota Yaris Cross GXL Hybrid review

The Toyota Yaris Cross was launched in Australia way back in August 2020, and in 2024 it received an overdue upgrade to its interior technology.

It is the Japanese brand’s smallest and most affordable ‘SUV’, but with flashy, affordable newcomers hitting the local light SUV scene in recent months, is this ageing compact crossover still worth a look?

How much does the Toyota Yaris Cross cost?

In 2024, Toyota adjusted the Yaris Cross lineup, from which the pure petrol-powered variants were dumped to make way for a hybrid-only range with some improved technology.

As you may have predicted, that means the entry price has risen, and across the board this is a more expensive compact SUV than some of the others you might consider.

Across most versions there is still the choice of front- or all-wheel drive, which improves its appeal among the front-drive dominant compact crossover segment.

The Yaris Cross range is priced in a position where it is competing with newer models like the Chery Tiggo 4 Pro and the latest MG ZS, as well as the refreshed Skoda Kamiq and Volkswagen T-Cross.

Model Price before on-road costs 2025 Toyota Yaris Cross GX Hybrid $30,900 2025 Toyota Yaris Cross GX Hybrid AWD $33,900 2025 Toyota Yaris Cross GXL Hybrid $33,950 2025 Toyota Yaris Cross GXL Hybrid AWD $36,950 2025 Toyota Yaris Cross Urban Hybrid $36,880 2025 Toyota Yaris Cross GR Sport Hybrid $36,930 2025 Toyota Yaris Cross Urban Hybrid AWD $39,880.

If you want to see how the Toyota Yaris Cross lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool.

What is the Toyota Yaris Cross like on the inside?

There have certainly been some improvements to the cabin design of the updated Yaris Cross, with a bit more wow-factor courtesy of a larger new [website] infotainment screen and a now-standard fully-digital [website] instrument cluster.

That driver info screen also has a number of themes and information displays on offer, and it’s all very easy to get your head around by using the steering wheel controls to adjust what’s on show.

However, it is flanked by a set of more basic gauges, and while the screen sizes make it feel at least a bit more modern than its predecessor, by class standards it’s already out of date. It might officially be a larger (small, rather than light) SUV, but for not that much more money the new MG ZS Hybrid+, for example, has twin [website] screens across the range.

Even so, the useability and controls on offer in the Toyota are good, with a volume dial to make quick adjustments, and there are standard climate controls down below with buttons – far simpler than diving through menus on a screen.

And maybe that’s the best way to think of the cabin – simple, but effective. There are ample storage options up front, including a tray below the screen, and another in front of the gear selector – neither of which includes a wireless phone charger, unfortunately.

Beyond that there are cupholders, a covered pocket in the adjustable centre armrest, and good sized bottle holders as well.

The finishes are fine, but nothing special. There’s cloth seat trim in the GXL, hard plastics across the dash, and a microfibre trim on the front doors, while rear seat occupants just get hard plastic finishes – great if you have grubby kids, but less good for adult elbows.

Rear seat space is more generous than you might expect of a [website] SUV. At 182cm/6’1”, I could fit behind my own driving position with my kees just brushing the seat ahead, but with good foot space and enough head and shoulder space to feel comfortable… but there was no-one next to me.

Three across will be VERY tight, but you can fit two adults in the back with ease, or two child seats if you need to. There are outboard ISOFIX child seat anchor points and three top-tethers, and while the middle seat doesn’t have a flip-down armrest, it does fold down completely to access a ski-port load-through space, and there are cupholders there, too.

Otherwise, it’s a bit bare in the second row, with just one map pocket on the front passenger’s seatback, and bottle holders in the doors. There are no air-vents, and no USB charge ports, either.

The biggest annoyance with the second-row, though, is that the doors don’t open very far. Lifting a kiddo in is painful, especially if you’re an awkward unit, and you almost feel like you’re going to rip the door clean off when you try and open it with too much gusto.

Boot space is quite good in the Yaris Cross, with 390 litres of cargo capacity in the front-wheel drive versions, but that shrinks to just 314 litres in AWD models, because of the revised rear suspension design. There are a couple of shopping bag hooks and a light in the back, too.

In 2WD variants you get a removeable flooring system that allows you to get more out of the space, and below that there’s still a space-saver spare wheel, as is standard in all versions.

Dimensions Toyota Yaris Cross Hybrid Length 4180mm Width 1765mm Height 1590mm Wheelbase 2560mm Cargo capacity 390L (5 seats).

If you want to see how the Toyota Yaris Cross lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool.

As mentioned, the Yaris Cross lineup has seen the traditional petrol engines dumped, with all models now running a petrol-electric hybrid system, which is now branded and badged HEV by Toyota.

Specifications Toyota Yaris Cross GXL Hybrid Engine [website] 3cyl petrol Engine outputs 67kW/120Nm Electric motor outputs 59kW/141Nm System outputs 85kW Battery [website] lithium-ion Transmission e-CVT Drive type FWD Weight (kerb) 1235kg Fuel economy (claimed) [website] Fuel economy (as tested) [website] Fuel tank capacity 36L Fuel requirement 91-octane regular unleaded CO2 emissions 85g/km Emissions standard Euro 5 Braked tow capacity 400kg.

If you want to see how the Toyota Yaris Cross lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool.

This is a good little SUV to drive, provided that you’re okay with things being a little loud.

There’s a lot more engine noise in this car than in many rivals, with the three-cylinder engine offering a hearty warble in a mix of situations.

It’s probably exacerbated by the fact it’s a hybrid, and the electric motor can take care of momentum at times – meaning that, in essence, it can be close to silent before the petrol engine makes quite the racket when it gets up and running.

And it’ll be even more vocal if you drive in B mode, rather than D. That mode is designed to maximise battery regeneration, and it will make the engine more actively work as a generator to fill up the battery to make EV driving more doable.

The downside, yes, is that it vibrates notably and may also make you think there’s something wrong with the car, if you’re not familiar with how it all works.

But it’s not just the engine that’s loud – it’s generally a very noisy experience, with loads of road noise entering on rougher surfaces, and noticeable intrusion from outside elements like other cars, trucks, buses and even cicadas. Drive it in the rain, and you might be surprised how clearly you can hear the weather inside the cabin.

But noisy stuff aside, it’s a bloody good thing to drive.

The steering is accurate and has some liveliness to it, with predictable responses at parking pace or when you’re threading through traffic on the freeway.

Ride comfort and body control are also very good. It has a slightly sharp edge to the suspension at times, but it feels assured and confident – bigger than its diminutive dimensions suggest, in fact.

And the braking response is also excellent. It doesn’t suffer from a lack of feel despite the regenerative braking system, and pulls up quickly and confidently.

There is also a big plus in terms of safety technology integration. Unlike some of the other models in this class, it doesn’t get on your nerves in terms of the tech. There is a speed sign recognition system, but it doesn’t chime at you, and the lane-keeping technology is pretty well measured, too.

While the powertrain is a vocal one, it’s pretty smooth in the way it switches between EV and petrol modes, and if you really need to get on the move, it hustles along quicker than you’d expect.

Really, it’ll come down to whether you can handle the noise, vibration and harshness of the drive experience or not.

If you want to see how the Toyota Yaris Cross lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool.

On test here is the GXL variant, which is one trim level up from base.

2025 Toyota Yaris Cross GX Hybrid equipment highlights:

16-inch alloy wheels with 205/65R16 tyres.

Space-saver spare (tyre repair kit with AWD).

[website] touchscreen infotainment system.

3 x rear ISOFIX and 2 x top tether child seat anchor points.

Tilt and telescopic steering wheel adjustment.

If you want to see how the Toyota Yaris Cross lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool.

The Toyota Yaris Cross has a five-star safety rating from ANCAP, based on testing conducted in 2021.

Category Toyota Yaris Cross Adult occupant protection 86% Child occupant protection 86% Vulnerable road user protection 78% Safety assist 82%.

Autonomous emergency braking Pedestrian Daylight cyclist Motorcyclist Oncoming vehicle Intersection collision avoidance.

All Yaris Cross variants come with eight airbags – dual front, driver’s knee, front centre, front side, and full-length curtains.

If you want to see how the Toyota Yaris Cross lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool.

How much does the Toyota Yaris Cross cost to run?

As with all Toyota models, the Yaris Cross is backed by a five-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty.

If you service on time you’ll eligible for seven years of powertrain warranty as well. Plus, if you service with Toyota, they’ll check the battery and hybrid system, with those annual health-checks ensuring a 10-year warranty cover on the battery bits.

Toyota offers capped-price servicing for the first five years or 75,000km, whichever comes first.

Servicing is required every 12 months or 15,000km, with each visit costing $250. Cheap!

You’ll need to budget an extra hundred bucks a year for roadside assistance, though. Many other brands include that in the purchase price, but charge a little more for maintenance.

If you want to see how the Toyota Yaris Cross lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool.

CarExpert’s Take on the Toyota Yaris Cross.

You could do worse than to get into a Toyota Yaris Cross. This is an efficient and interesting little SUV, with some clever interior packaging and an improved cabin design.

But you’ll have to be okay with a noisy drive experience, and it lacks some bling compared to newer rivals.

Even so, I’d suggest you give it a go if you’re in the market for a city-friendly hybrid SUV.

Interested in buying a Toyota Yaris Cross? Get in touch with one of CarExpert’s trusted dealers here.

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Karma claims these EVs and PHEVs are coming in 2025 and 2026

Revero PHEV production continues now, limited-edition Invictus arrives in 2025.

Gyesera due in 2026 debuts new look, composite body.

Kaveya supercar due in late 2026 goes fully electric, embraces Intel architecture.

Karma’s push to power fleets and commercial vehicles has faded.

It’s been more than ten years since California-based Karma Automotive initially formed with funding from the Chinese parts supplier Wanxiang Group and the assets of then-defunct Fisker Automotive.

Since then, Karma has teased a number of concept and limited-edition vehicles, along with several about-faces in business direction, all while both refining its plug-in series hybrid technology and working toward a mix of PHEVs and fully electric models in the future. Karma highlights that it engineers, designs, and manufactures its vehicles in Southern California.

Although Karma’s long-term funding situation remains unclear, it also has serious aspirations to be a technology supplier to other automakers and the industry, as evidenced by its 2024 acquisition of the tech assets and IP of over-the-air software improvement pioneer Airbiquity, and of its recent confirmation of a technology partnership with Intel Automotive—including co-branded inverters and more—aimed at creating and refining the architecture and software for next-gen software-defined vehicles.

“We’ve integrated that, and we continue to evolve our software platform. That’s a very, very big focus for us,” noted Karma CEO Marques McCammon, of the Airbiquity acquisition. Karma's upcoming Kaveya supercar is set to act as a “living development prototype” for the Intel architecture.

But last month, in a comprehensive interview with Green Car Reports, McCammon laid out that its primary goal remains to be a tech-forward ultra-luxury automaker with a ramped-up slate of models and an annual volume greater than what it’s managed to make cumulatively in its 10+ years.

Karma has some heavy lifting to get there. Its only current model, the Revero, returned in the fall after a production pause earlier in 2024, and McCammon confirmed that it’s once again being delivered. Deliveries in recent years have landed below a hundred vehicles a year; and earlier last year Karma expressed that it had delivered a cumulative 1,000 vehicles—over its entire history.

“I have no intention of claiming 50,000 or 100,000 units,” expressed McCammon when asked about annual volume targets. Instead, he offered, “3,000-5,000 units is where I want to be.”.

“I can be at the ultra-luxury or exotic level and I can lean into the technology aggressively, and I’m small so I can move fast,” he unveiled, summing up the philosophy. “And then I can share it.”.

Sitting down with McCammon at CES, we had the CEO run through what will get him to annual production and sales of thousands rather than hundreds, and of the kind of desirability that will nurture Karma as a tech supplier.

Karma Revero, EREV series-hybrids remain the foundation.

The Revero (also called the Karma GS-6 for a brief time) is a continuation of the Fisker Karma, which was first delivered in 2011. It carries most key aspects of the original Karma’s design forward but advances with a revamped powertrain and an updated interior. The plug-in series-hybrid propulsion system was featured in the Fisker Karma and is derived from a Quantum Technologies system originally developed for military vehicles. But Karma has extensively revamped that since the Fisker days, with a more powerful and refined [website] BMW turbo-3 and a bigger 28-kwh battery pack introduced for 2020.

In Karma’s so-called EREV system, the gasoline engine runs a generator when needed, while a dual-motor propulsion system produces 536 hp with additional electricity from the engine—delivering a [website] 0-60 mph time—or 476 hp without the engine starting. The Revero was EPA-rated at 61 miles of range for the 2020 model year and specs haven’t changed significantly since then.

With it, the Revero is one of the few plug-in hybrid models on the market that can fast-charge. On an easy-to-find 50-kw CCS connector it can get to 80% in 24 minutes, —so a quick charge during lunch might allow you more than 100 electric miles over the course of the day.

Karma Revero Invictus Karma Revero Invictus Karma Revero Invictus.

Invictus transforms Revero, adds performance focus.

The Karma Invictus comes next—later this year. As a special edition of the Revero, it’s set to be built around “a chassis more tightly refined for performance,” unveiled McCammon, and it will weigh less overall than the Revero.

Karma has promised performance upfits including Öhlins dampers, Swift springs, and Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires for the Invictus.

“We replace aluminum paddles with carbon; we lighten the vehicle up and we make it a fun driving machine; and then we do some really trick things on the interior, like hand-stitched themes where we draw from the Chrysler Building in New York,” stated McCammon. “It’s very Art Deco—a collectible car.”.

The Karma and Invictus will continue to take advantage of Karma’s body shop in Moreno Valley, California, which was configured to build a whole set of vehicles all starting with the same aluminum space frame.

Karma Gyesera Karma Gyesera Karma Gyesera.

Gyesera embraces composite body, new look.

After Invictus comes the Gyesera, which McCammon described as a “new rebodied car.”.

“It’s a whole new interior, whole new exterior, we’re moving away from aluminum for the body, and we’re focusing more on composite, so we have lighter weight, more high-performance, more exotic, frankly.”.

Work on the composite body is being done partly in house and partly with suppliers. Its shop in California can paint composite panels but not make them. It’s specced and designed, then shipped in.

The Gyesera was originally due in 2024, and when we asked McCammon when it was arriving instead, he hinted that it’s changed direction over time. Although the Gyesera was originally supposed to be the first departure from that range extender, he suggested it will likely instead be a plug-in hybrid.

“We’ve been actively reevaluating that since June of last year, just because of the shift in market perception around EVs,” he expressed. “Right now with our EREV, I don’t know of anyone in the world—no one in North America—has an EV-only range of up to 80 miles.”.

Sometime beyond the Gyesera, Karma has also suggested that a plug-in hybrid SUV might be in the way, maybe one like the Karma Ivara concept shown last year.

1,000-hp Kaveya EV supercar tests Intel architecture.

The exotic-looking, fully electric Karma Kaveya comes next, in late 2026—or perhaps sooner, hinted McCammon. It will produce 1,000 hp and be capable of accelerating to 60 mph in the vicinity of two seconds.

Although the Kaveya looks completely different, it will still build on Karma’s physical platform, meaning its aluminum space-frame layout and some of the chassis pieces. This will allow lots of commonality despite the adoption of the Intel whole-vehicle electrical architecture.

“We can change the spine, the length, the height, and don’t have to change the fundamental platform,” expressed McCammon. “So we can translate from a Revero or Gyesera to Kaveya and still have 40-plus-percent common content.”.

Karma still plans to support commercial vehicles on its platform, McCammon expressed, but it won’t be at the core of the business as it appeared to be in 2021 when the organization presented it would go after the electrified bus, RV, and box-truck market with a “Powered by Karma” banner. The focus will instead be on passenger vehicles, and specifically those at the upper end of the market—“American ultra-luxury,” as McCammon put it.

Based on the use case, its propulsion platform could have different configurations, including some built around 400 volts and others around 800 volts. That could include 800-volt versions for a super coupe or a crossover—allowing faster charging, among other advantages—plus a 400-volt version for commercial vehicles.

In addition to technology, design is the second key point that will get Karma to higher but still-, the CEO explained. Between VP of design Michelle Christensen and Nick David as interior design director, they’re working as a team to give the vehicles a fresh look.

”I asked Michelle to take everything she has done in the studio and translate it into our entire brand experience,” McCammon explained. “Nick continues to work on the vehicle, but now she’s expanding that so every touch point of Karma has the same aesthetic.”.

While Karma isn’t wound up in a typical startup hype cycle, it’s still trying to prove itself with finite resources. What it might deliver in tech and design all its own is still taking form—but it’s due very soon.

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