Pininfarina's New Karma Concept Takes Shape As A Coupe

There aren't a lot of automakers lead by designers. Fisker was one of them. Pininfarina is another. But the successor ofthe former has hired the latterto redesign the Karma. And unlike the original, this one will only have two doors.

Though the details remain shrouded, the latest in a string ofteaser imagesreleased in the ramp-up to the 2019 Shanghai Auto Show clearly shows a single door aperture in profile. And though Henrik Fisker's original design had a rather coupe-like roofline (and somewhat cramped rear seats), it had four full doors.

This won't be the first time the Karma's been rebodied with two doors, mind you. Fisker showed a convertible concept with a retractable hardtop called the Karma S (or Sunset) in 2009, in addition to the Surf shooting brake that followed in 2011.

All indications are that Pininfarina will do more than lob the back doors off the plug-in hybrid, though. The profile shot suggests additional stylistic departures, and the front and rear teaser shots released previously show fresh sheetmetal at both ends as well, the buck-tooth grille giving way to a re-chiseled nose and a taillight strip running the full width of the vehicle.