Good karma: Marques McCammon

The rise of EVs, though widely celebrated, have still been treated with a degree of skepticism by a small but significant segment of the market – the car enthusiast. These discerning individuals are not easily tempted away from the visceral experience provided by an internal combustion engine, and they often feel a hesitancy to abandon a method of propulsion tried and tested for more than a century.

But today, thanks to technological leaps made in the EV market, as well as the requirement for decarbonization, there is a growing demand for automobiles that are not only high performance and ultra luxurious, but are also friendlier to the planet. On hand to offer exactly this is Karma Automotive.

Leading the charge forward is its President Marques McCammon, whose passion for the industry is unmatched.

"I’ve loved the auto industry and I’ve loved cars as long as I can remember," McCammon tells The CEO Magazine. "I started off working at Chrysler Corporation. That was my first real automotive job."

During his time at the Michigan-based global automotive giant, now known as Stellantis, he helped co-found the SRT division famed for producing hair-raising, track-ready performance cars. But this wasn’t enough to satisfy McCammon’s ambition, who long had his eye on a top job.

"I told my interviewer when I joined Chrysler that my plan was to gain experience, build a name for myself and ultimately run a car company," he remembers. "It was an impractical dream at the time."

In collaboration with

Phiaro

The concept car design specialist is embracing challenges for the future. The concept car design specialist is embracing challenges for the future.

After three decades in various roles across the industry, including at sports car manufacturers Saleen and a venture into engineering services and high technology, McCammon finally realized this impractical dream in 2023, when he assumed the presidency of Karma Automotive. He remains inspired by the endless possibilities for cars to push boundaries.

"There’s always something new, there’s always new technology. Frankly, it’s the most complex consumer product on the planet, with the attention to detail and the level of scrutiny that goes into an automobile," he says.

"And for that reason, there’s always something new to learn, and you get the ability to make an impact on people."

Cutting-edge products

Perhaps Karma’s most eye-catching offering is the Karma Invictus, a high-performance, limited-series luxury sedan that combines opulence and design elegance with cutting-edge technology. Not only does it do zero–100 kilometers per hour in less than four seconds, powered by more than 536 brake horsepower, thanks to its state of the art extended range electric vehicle (EREV) technology it has an impressive range of 580 kilometers.

"I think the biggest trend for the luxury EV market is going to be tackling the concerns about range," McCammon says. "There are other companies that have an EREV, but Karma has been the banner holder in contemporary times. Our technology allows more EV-only range than any other car in its class and pretty much any other car in the world."

Also, like cell phones or computers, a Karma automobile is constantly upgraded thanks to its advanced over-the-air update capabilities.

"We have the ability to literally change the experience of a vehicle over time. We can make the vehicle more performant and more efficient. We can make the user experience different as you need it and as technology evolves," McCammon says.

"If there’s something in our software that we can do to rebalance the performance of the car, we can do that remotely. So as well as offering physical customization, we also do it virtually via cyber technologies."

This has given Karma a unique positioning in the luxury EV market, McCammon explains.

"We have the ability to maintain that rarity and that heirloom quality, but without the functionality being antiquated. It’s a paradigm that hasn’t really ever existed in this space."

Recognizing the overlooked

Underpinning McCammon’s success in his career is an approach to leadership carefully honed across his three decades in the industry. A central tenet of this philosophy is to trust in the ability and judgement of his employees to take the right path.

"If I give each employee the opportunity to write the path for me, they will give me one that they will chase more effectively and more passionately. And usually what I find is that the outcome is stronger," he says.

"It’s not my job to tell them the answer or to try and act like I’m the smart person in the room, because I’m generally not. Mine is to gather phenomenal people together and enable them to show their potential."

Having worked tirelessly for three decades to prove he was capable of heading up a company, he is well aware of the potential lying in people who have been underestimated or sidelined by others.

"For that reason, it would be no surprise that I have an extremely diverse workforce because I find that people who have faced challenges – whether it be because of their ethnicity, gender, personal orientation or social status – tend to build a level of grit and resilience."

Sustainable purpose

As its name suggests, Karma was founded with a commitment to do the right thing, particularly with the planet in mind.

"Sustainability is the reason why the company’s name is Karma, and it starts off with our vehicles," McCammon says. "We want them to have the lowest carbon footprint and the highest efficiency possible, but with no compromise to the lifestyle of the buyer."

It’s not only the vehicles themselves that are committed to this principle, but also its manufacturing facilities. Its ultra-high efficiency headquarters run almost exclusively on sustainable, zero carbon energy.

Doing the right thing extends to the way in which Karma interacts with its partners, with McCammon believing in the virtues of shared success. One partner among many that benefit from this approach is Phiaro.

"A rising tide raises all ships," he says. "So our philosophy at Karma is to embrace this notion of openness and sharing."

With this spirit of shared success in mind, McCammon wants to usher in a new age of prosperity, where car enthusiasts once again see the United States as embodying the height of motoring excellence.

"When you think of the greatest, most sought after automobiles, you tend to think of European brands. Not since the 1930s have we had pinnacle automotive brands," he says.

"Karma is to be that – we are to return the United States to the pinnacle of automotive culture."

In collaboration with

Phiaro

The concept car design specialist is embracing challenges for the future. The concept car design specialist is embracing challenges for the future. Read More