Karma targets luxury market

Karma Automotive, an electric luxury car maker owned by China's Wanxiang Group, announced Tuesday the launch of a new Moreno Valley-based customization and innovation center, during a ceremony attended by employees, government officials and business partners.

The center, rebranded "the Karma Innovation and Customization Center (KICC)", will house the production of its new 2020 Revero luxury electric vehicles, company leaders said.

Victoria Baca, mayor pro tem of Moreno Valley, described the city and Karma Automotive as "ideal partners".

"It's also a significant step toward fulfilling the vision for both entities. The vision for the City of Moreno Valley to be the regional leader in economic growth and to expand the employment opportunities for those who live in our beautiful city and the vision for Karma Automotive to be the industry leader in luxury, customization and craftsmanship," she said.

According to Baca, the KICC, which is just 60 miles from Karma's global headquarters in Irvine, California, has created over 200 new jobs for Moreno Valley.

Karma's factory in Moreno Valley first opened in 2015. The sprawling 556,000-square-foot facility is made up of a body shop, general assembly, paint shop and final process alignment and test stations.

It represents an investment of more than $100 million, the company said.

KICC currently produces the company's 2019 Revero and is transitioning to its next generation 2020 Revero, which is scheduled for dealer showrooms during the second half of this year.

During a roundtable discussion on Tuesday, Zhou said the luxury car market has traditionally been led by European manufacturers, but in the last decade, it has gradually been taken over by American car companies, especially those in California, which he called "a land where everything is possible."

"The new generations of customers are totally different," he said. "In the past, the customers who buy luxury cars are usually over 50 years old, but now people over 30 can buy them."

Zhou said the company is currently focused on selling cars in the US market. It will then expand its sale to the European and Chinese markets.

He described California as "the most competitive and demanding luxury market in the world".

"It's been nearly 30 years since any auto maker has built vehicles in Southern California. While others have left our state, Karma made a conscious decision to stay and do business in California," Zhou said.

"We believe if we can win here, we can win anywhere," he added.

The sale price for Karma 2019 is around $140,000, the company said.