The employees of Karma Automotive cheer as Krishnan Menon, of Los Angeles, drives away as the first customer to take delivery of the new Revero built at their Moreno Valley factory on Monday, June 5, 2017. (Stan Lim, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)

Krishnan Menon, of Los Angeles, sits in his new Karma Revero that he received at the Moreno Valley factory on Monday, June 5, 2017. (Stan Lim, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)

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The Revero emblem is installed on a hybrid electric vehicle built at Karma Automotive in their Moreno Valley factory on Monday, June 5, 2017. (Stan Lim, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)

The Revero emblem is installed on a hybrid electric vehicle built at Karma Automotive in their Moreno Valley factory on Monday, June 5, 2017. (Stan Lim, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)

Karma Automotive employees wait for customer Krishnan Menon, of Los Angeles, to be the first customer to take delivery of the Revero, a hybrid electric vehicle, at their Moreno Valley factory on Monday, June 5, 2017. (Stan Lim, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)



Tongpanh Phalavisay, left, and Oscar Trejo both with Karma Automotive, work on a engine for a Revero, a hybrid electric vehicle, at their Moreno Valley factory on Monday, June 5, 2017. (Stan Lim, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)

Rashad Monson, left, and Francisco Hernandez, both with Karma Automotive, work on the instrument panel of a Revero, a hybrid electric vehicle, at their Moreno Valley factory on Monday, June 5, 2017. (Stan Lim, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)

Karma Automotive craftsmen work on a Revero at their factory in Moreno Valley factory on Monday, June 5, 2017. (Stan Lim, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)

The seams of a Revero are sealed in a booth at Karma Automotive, makers of the hybrid electric vehicle in Moreno Valley on Monday, June 5, 2017. (Stan Lim, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)

Karma Automotive workers walk the floor of the factory where they build the Revero, a hybrid electric vehicle, at their Moreno Valley factory on Monday, June 5, 2017. (Stan Lim, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)



Jim Taylor, Chief Revenue Officer for Karma Automotive, right, walks customer Krishnan Menon, of Los Angeles, up to his new Karma Revero that he took took delivery of at their Moreno Valley factory on Monday, June 5, 2017. (Stan Lim, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)

The Karma Revero was unveiled in September. (File Photo)

Chief Revenue Officer James Taylor poses for a photo during a launch party for the Karma Revero in Laguna Beach. (File Photo)

Karma Automotive and several hundred employees have landed in a new, quarter-million-square-foot headquarters in Irvine.

The luxury automaker, the only American-made car maker based in Southern California, has been operating out of a Costa Mesa headquarters since it debuted in 2015.

The company bought the former Kawasaki headquarters for $56 million earlier this year.

The new headquarters sealed the automaker’s rebirth in Orange County. The company, once Fisker Automotive, was bought in a bankruptcy auction in 2014 by Chinese auto parts company Wanxiang Group Corp. for roughly $150 million.

Karma Automotive signed the Irvine lease in August 2016 and unveiled the Revero, its luxury electric sedan, the following month. The first cars, which cost around $130,000, rolled off the Moreno Valley assembly line in June.

The company, in an email Wednesday, Oct. 25, said its plans for production in 2018 is “four to 500 vehicles, based on customer demand.”

The automaker has previously said it will open an experience store at the Irvine campus. In the email to the Register, a representative said details about the new showroom would be revealed at a later date. Karma also declined to release sales numbers for the Revero.

According to the company, 334 people now work in Irvine, with 152 people on its engineering and project management teams joining 182 other associates Tuesday, Oct. 24. Karma said 253 new employees are expected to follow by the end of November, with employment in Irvine expected to exceed 600 by year’s end. The Moreno Valley plant employs 277 people.

Karma said it is recruiting engineers in electrical, software, industrial and mechanical specialties. Karma also is looking for product engineers and designers for chassis, body, powertrain, thermal, infotainment, safety, and vehicle integration.

The HQ is on nearly 18 acres at 9950 Jeronimo Road.