Karma Automotive doesn’t want its drivers to have to navigate the heavy traffic of Orange County while trying out its luxury electric cars. So it’s building them their own test track.
The track—an hour’s drive inland, near the company’s Moreno Valley production facility—is the latest example of the Irvine-based car manufacturer’s commitment to customer personalization.
Also adding to that desire of giving buyers a bespoke vehicle, the company last week said it would open a customer experience center at its Moreno Valley facility, which it renamed in April as the Karma Innovation and Customization Center.
KICC has seen about $100 million of investments since it was bought by Karma a few years ago.
The experience center will open its doors after Karma rolls out its 2020 Revero GT model to dealerships later this year.
Louise Bristow, Karma’s director of customer experience, said in a statement that KICC “will offer every owner the opportunity to make a personal connection with the people behind our brand.”
The center is fashioned as an indoor lounge, whose design is inspired by Karma’s Southern California roots, and will have an art gallery style setting to showcase the Revero’s technology and electric powertrain.
Customers will have an opportunity to learn about the brand and configure their own Karma vehicles, as well as peek into the manufacturing process.
The nearby test track will allow Revero owners to “put their new vehicle through its paces without constraints” such as traffic or speed limits.
Resort Stays
A few customer perks are taking place a bit closer to the company’s Spectrum-area headquarters, where it employs about 700 people.
The automaker said it will be extending an invitation to Revero owners who have purchased their vehicle within the last year to a special three-day program “to express the brand’s gratitude for being part of its journey.”
The experience includes owners being housed at one of OC’s luxury hotels—the specific hotel undisclosed—and a tour of Karma’s area facilities.
The move is the latest in a string of company announcements this year. Others included the debut of its “Big Three” product collection at Auto Shanghai in April and completing the build-out of its $7.5 million powertrain test lab at its Irvine headquarters, both profiled last month by the Business Journal.
Karma Chief Executive Lance Zhou has made a point of solidifying the brand as one about “innovation and customization.”
Those ideals also serve as the foundation of Karma’s 10-year business plan, which he unveiled earlier this year. The focus will be on acquiring and developing key technologies relating to connectivity, performance, artificial intelligence, shared mobility and platforms, as well as electrification.
Karma hasn’t disclosed its long-term sales goal, but Zhou told the Business Journal earlier this year he’s ultimately looking to move about 5,000 vehicles a year.
Its Moreno Valley manufacturing facility, which employs about 200, can produce up to 10,000 vehicles annually.
