[4][8] Due to the very small cabin interior volume, the EPA rated the Fisker Karma as a subcompact car.

[14] After furloughing its US workers in late March 2013,[17] Fisker Automotive filed for bankruptcy in November 2013, after the United States Department of Energy auctioned its debt and sold it to Hybrid Technology LLC for US$25 million.

[26] In August 2012 Fisker announced that the Sunset and the Surf were both on hold, as the company had decided to focus on the planned mid-sized Atlantic sedan.

[25] Following the sale to Chinese company Wanxiang of assets, designs, rights to a plug-hybrid powertrain, and a manufacturing facility in Delaware, the new owners in September 2016 commenced production under the name Karma Automotive.

Once the battery is depleted, or when the driver activates the "Sport" paddle on the steering wheel, the front-mounted 260 hp, 2.0-liter Ecotec four-cylinder direct-injection turbocharged gasoline engine powers a generator that sends electricity directly to the drive motors.

[34] The EcoChic version featured a natural fabric interior with an ultra-suede dash, as part of Fisker's ecological "animal-free" offering and with real leaf fossils embedded in door and central console glass inserts.

TÜV found that in charge-sustaining sport mode the Karma achieves a fuel economy of 26 mpg (9.2 L/100 km).

[7] After rescheduling the Karma market launch to September 2010, and missing its target to build 70 to 100 test cars in 2010,[48] production began in July 2011,[7] and the two first deliveries took place in the United States during the same month.

[57][58][59] In 2010, the United States Department of Energy awarded Fisker a US$529 million green-energy loan, primarily to assist the company in transitioning the Karma, which is assembled in Finland, into the American markets.

Three months later, in May, Fisker spokesman Roger Ormisher told ABC News that negotiations with the DOE were ongoing, and "We're hoping for a conclusion fairly soon.

"[60] The Karma was praised on the British television series Top Gear for its looks and hybrid technology while being road-tested by presenter James May and special guest, AC/DC front-man Brian Johnson.

[61] In December 2011, Fisker recalled the first 239 Karmas built from July through November 3, 2011, and delivered to the US, due to a risk of battery fire caused by coolant leak.

In the report filed by Fisker Automotive with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the carmaker said some hose clamps were not properly positioned, which could allow a coolant leak.

The problem was discovered on December 16 at the Valmet Automotive assembly plant in Finland when workers noticed coolant dripping.

[66] On August 18, 2012, Fisker announced it is recalling about 2,400 Karma plug-in hybrids to repair a faulty cooling fan unit.

While performing a routine speedometer calibration check prior to actual road testing, the car broke down and could not be restarted.

[69][70][71][72] A Fisker Karma was involved in a home fire that also burned two other cars in Fort Bend County, Texas in May 2012.

"[73] The NHTSA is conducting a field inquiry of the incident, and is working with insurance adjusters and Fisker to determine the fire's cause.

The evidence suggested that the ignition source was not the lithium-ion battery pack, new technology components or unique exhaust routing.

[67][78] In separate incidents during the storm and flooding caused by Hurricane Sandy on the night of October 29, 2012, 16 Karmas and one Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid caught fire while parked at Port Newark-Elizabeth Marine Terminal.

Initially, a Fisker Automotive spokesman said the company "can't be certain exactly what happened at the port" but "we think being submerged in 13 feet of saltwater had something to do with it".

She also clarified that the incident affected only three cars out of the 4,000 Toyotas that were at the terminal during the storm, including more than 2,128 plug-in or hybrid models.

[50][79] After an investigation by Fisker engineers, witnessed by NHTSA representatives, the company said that the origin of the fire was "residual salt damage inside a Vehicle Control Unit submerged in seawater for several hours.

The company explained that Sandy's heavy winds spread that fire to other Karmas parked nearby, and also ruled out the vehicles' lithium-ion battery packs as a cause of, or even a contributing factor to, the blaze.

[91] Producers of the TV show Two and a Half Men chose the Karma as the vehicle for the character Walden Schmidt, a young and successful tech entrepreneur.

In the TV show Lab Rats the Karma is used as a self-driving car in Season 2 Episode 1: "Speed Trapped".