Karma on Thursday named Andreas Thurner as its new Vice President of Global Design and Architecture.

In the newly created role, he will oversee the design of next-generation models from Karma starting with a battery-electric car due in 2021. The new car is to be the first member of a family of EVs based on a new modular platform.

Karma's sole model at present is a rebadged version of the Fisker Karma, dubbed the Revero GT. Karma's parent company, Chinese supplier Wanxiang, acquired the rights to the extended-range electric sedan after buying the assets of the original Fisker following its bankruptcy in 2013.

In his new role, Thurner will also lead a design consultancy service Karma plans to offer to rival automakers, as well as luxury lifestyle businesses such as furniture and interior design firms.

Andreas Thurner

Andreas Thurner

Thurner joined Karma from Rolls-Royce, where he was chiefly responsible for the exteriors of the current Ghost and Dawn. He studied transportation design at the Hochschule für Gestaltung in Pforzheim, Germany.

Since joining Karma in 2016, he helped design the SC1 Vision concept that was unveiled in April at Auto Shanghai 2019. The sleek, battery-electric sports car is based on Karma's new modular platform.

“I am excited to lead an outstanding design team and work in close collaboration with an equally talented engineering team, as our entire organization faces the greatest opportunity Karma has ever had,” Thurner said in a statement.

News of Thurner's appointment as head of design at Karma comes just days after the company announced it will sign up dealerships in more than a dozen U.S. cities and expand into 19 new countries spanning five continents by the end of 2020.

2020 Karma Revero GT

2020 Karma Revero GT