While previous episodes in this series have tackled Western European marques in Britain, France and Italy, today we’re taking a trip to Sweden to check out Koenigsegg’s current showroom. This brand presents a number of challenges for us to unpack, but an easy way to understand Koenigsegg’s products is like this: take the low production volume of one of Ferrari’s specials, and marry to that in-house Swedish engineering.
What’s quite interesting and unique to Koenigsegg is that they’re relatively young AND they make most of their engines and transmissions completely in-house. This means they’re not really constrained by the limitations of the OEM industry, but rather can push forward things the rest of the market has yet to conceive. Consequently, most of their cars are very exclusive and very expensive. And instead of providing dimensions as we’ve done in the past, we’ll leave an Engineering Explained video to highlight one in-house feature for each of the models.
Right now, here’s what their model lineup looks like:
Regera
The Regera is currently the oldest vehicle that the company still produces. It was shown in 2015 and all 80 units have been sold (though it is unclear if they’ve all been produced yet). It’s a plug-in hybrid grand tourer with a detachable targa top. The 5-litre V8 engine is mounted in the middle and sends power to the rear wheels. However, being a PHEV, it has a battery pack, 3 electric motors and a single-gear direct drive system. At lower speeds, the electric motors are doing all the moving, but later, the engine (aided by a third electric motor) steps in to keep acceleration going.
Jesko
The Jesko is the company’s replacement to the Agera and develops its 5-litre V8 engine further. It also features a new, 9-speed automatic transmission (a.k.a Light Speed Transmission) that the company also designed itself. This model lacks the PHEV system of the Regera and is altogether more track-focused with a mid-rear mounted engine and rear wheel drive. It was first shown in 2019 and only 125 will be made. In a way, the Jesko is the only car Koenigsegg makes with a “legacy”. It’s succeeds the Agera, which succeeded the CCX, which succeeded the company’s first car, the CC8S.
Gemera
The Gemera is the company’s latest and the first time they’re putting 4-seats in one of their vehicles. It’s another PHEV grand tourer, but without the detachable targa roof or huge 5-litre V8. In fact, the engine is out of this world! They call it the Tiny Friendly Giant. It uses a camless design, only has 3-cylinders, only displaces 2-litres and still produces 600PS and 600Nm of torque! The PHEV system is not the same as the Regera’s, though it also has 3 electric motors, and that single gear direct drive system. This time, the 2-litre engine and 1 electric motor send power to the front wheels while the other 2 electric motors power the rear wheels. This all-wheel drive setup also gets all-wheel steering and all-wheel torque vectoring for the best possible performance characteristics. 300 of these Gemeras will be made.
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