Hybrids are becoming all the rage at the pinnacle of the
supercar segment.
Ferrari,
McLaren and
Porsche have all gone that route with their latest flagship models, and
Bugatti is expected to follow suit as well. But before it does,
Koenigsegg has revealed its first hybrid hypercar here at the
Geneva Motor Show.
Called the
Regera, it shares an obvious link to the conventionally powered
Agera, but with a
plug-in hybrid powertrain. At its heart sits the same 5.0-liter twin-turbo V8 as the Agera, but with smaller turbos that spool up faster to produce 1,100 horsepower and coupled to a suite of electric motors kicking in another 700 hp. When they're both working in tandem, the system will produce more than 1,500 horsepower and just as much torque. So not only can it run on pure electric power alone (and trounce most any EV in the process), but according to
Koenigsegg, the combined efforts of the hybrid powertrain make the Regera the "fastest accelerating, most powerful production car ever."
The electric portion of the powertrain does away with a conventional gearbox altogether, replacing it with the Koenigsegg Direct Drive transmission. The system incorporates three electric motors sourced from
YASA Motors: one at each rear wheel and another at the internal combustion engine's crankshaft. That gives the Regera torque vectoring and regenerative braking capabilities. The vehicle can also be plugged in to charge the 9-kWh, 620-volt battery developed by Rimac, and will even switch to electric power when heading to a charge port to drain the battery for charging and reduce dependency on the internal combustion engine. All that comes at a minimal weight penalty as Koenigsegg claims that the system makes it less than 200 pounds heavier than a conventionally powered Agera.
To fit the new powertrain, Koenigsegg redesigned the rear subframe and structure and placed it on active mounts, but that's not the end of the story. Koenigsegg boasts that the whole vehicle is robotized: it's got an active hydraulic suspension, active aero and all the openings in the unique bodywork – including the front and rear hoods and the signature Dihedral Synchro Helix doors – can be operated by the push of a button on the remote or from a smartphone. It's also got unique "constellation" LED daytime running lights, a titanium exhaust developed with Akrapovic and what Koenigsegg calls "the world's first fully foldable, active, top-mounted rear wing."
None of this will likely come cheap, mind you, and the Regera will be scarce as well: the Swedish supercar manufacturer says it will produce only 80 examples – which is already a lot considering it has only made around 115 vehicles in its history, and with the new
Agera RS also announced here in Geneva, this will be the first time that Koenigsegg will be producing two models at the same time.
Pricing and complete performance figures have yet to be announced. But considering that the Regera boasts over 1,500 hp and weighs less than 3,600 lbs, it ought to live up to its claim. For now, Chrisitian von Koenigsegg and company will only say that it will run to 400 km/h (250 mph) in under 20 seconds, and accelerate from 150-250 km/h (93-155 mph) in just 3.2 seconds.
