Karma Automotive, a Southern California-based “ultra-luxury” electric vehicle manufacturer, has acquired the technology assets and IP of software company Airbiquity, based in Seattle.

Karma said it has also hired Airbiquity’s key technical employees and assumed its OEM contracts.

The acquisition gives Karma access to Airbiquity’s connected vehicle systems, including over-the-air updates, software development tools, data management and analytics.

“We are wrapping Airbiquity’s software into Karma Cloud Services and embedded vehicle technology to create a new platform that is greater than the sum of its parts,” Karma president Marques McCammon said in a news release. “Its commercial software meets the needs of a diverse base of transportation industry customers.”

McCammon said Airbiquity’s more than two decades of experience in developing software was a major consideration in the acquisition.

“Airbiquity has mitigated system challenges we wouldn’t necessarily target when designing solely for our own vehicles,” he said. “Their team and their software have been deployed in more than 60 countries in passenger cars and motorcycles, and have serviced the largest OEMs in those sectors.

“Their design maturity will help codify our strategies for software-defined and continuously connected vehicles.”

Karma recently introduced a rebranded vehicle lineup that ranges from the Revero hybrid to the Kaveya “super coupe” EV, with an all-wheel drive version that Karma said goes from zero to 60 mph in less than three seconds.

“We are a technology company that manufactures ultra-luxury vehicles,” McCammon said. “By adding Airbiquity assets to our Karma Connected Cloud Services, which is already a core strength, our entire fleet will be fully connected and fully OTA capable.

“Other manufacturers are playing catch-up. We are simply producing better technology for our customers.”