Karma has filed patents for a sexy SUV, here's what they look like

Renders from Karma submitted to the United States Patent and Trademark Office have been leaked, revealing how an electric SUV from the company – said to be named the GX-1 – could look if it reached production.

The Chinese-owned American company Karma is on a product offensive, after it announced the GS-6 sedan this January, and these pictures suggest an electric SUV is on the way to challenge the Ford Mustang Mach-E and Tesla Model Y.

We know little about the SUV beyond what we can see in the pictures. However, it's aggressive, sleek and familiar, with hints of Alfa Romeo Stelvio, Porsche Cayenne and Aston Martin DBX.

Since the SUV features a very cab-rearward silhouette, speculation suggests its bonnet could hide an internal combustion engine to supplement either an EV or hybrid powertrain.

In Karma's current Revero sedan, a dual-motor electric powertrain produces 400kW and 746Nm with assistance from a 28kWh battery charged by a 1.5-litre three-cylinder turbocharged BMW engine.

The Revero can go 128km on pure electric battery power. But it also has a plug-in charging capability.

Given this powertrain will also find its way into the newly announced GS-6 – Karma’s new entry-level sedan that will sit below the Revero – there is a good chance it could be shared again with this GX-1 SUV.

Ironically, if it debuts, the Karma GX-1 will battle the Fisker Ocean, an incoming SUV created by Henrik Fisker. Fisker is the man behind the failed Fisker Karma sedan, which eventually became the Revero after Fisker Automotive filed for bankruptcy.

Wanxiang Group bought the company in 2014 and formed Karma Automotive, which currently headquarters its production site in Moreno Valley, California.

Karma currently sells the Revero for US$130,000 (AU$161,400) and is expected to introduce the entry-level GS-6e, which is all-electric with zero emissions, for about US$80,000 ($AU101,200) in America.