2015 Geneva Motor Show: Koenigsegg Regera

A 406km/h plug-in hybrid? Meet the 1120kW Koenigsegg Regara

FOR Swedish hypercar maker Koenigsegg, way too much clearly still isn’t enough. Because following on from last year’s One:1 the company has just unveiled an even more powerful car at the Geneva motor show: the hybrid Regara, with a total combined power output of 1120kW, and a 0-400km/h time claimed to be ‘under 20 seconds.’

This is a completely new second model line for Koenigsegg, intended to be less track focussed and offer more luxury than the existing Agera. It was designed entirely in-house and, like its harder-cored sisters, has a structure built entirely from carbonfibre.

The internal combustion side of the powertrain uses the same twin-turbocharged 5.0-litre V8 as other Koenigsegg models, but without a conventional transmission. Instead this delivers drive to the final drive on the rear through a direct link, with only a hydraulic coupling that can disengage the engine from the wheels. Meaning, in effect, a single-speed gearbox, with the V8’s 8250rpm red line corresponding to the car’s 406km/h top speed.

Which brings us to the electrical side, with three state-of-the-art axial flux motors. Two of these direct drive the rear wheels, providing 180kW each and full torque vectoring, while a third works with the crankshaft to provide torque fill when the petrol engine is off-boost, and also to act as generator and starter motor. The 620-volt battery pack occupies just 67 litres of volume in the chassis backbone and provides 9.27kW/h capacity, along with amazing flow-rates – up to 500kW can be supplied during full acceleration, and 150kW can be asborbed during regenerative braking.

Apparently the full transmission system – including the battery pack and the electric motors – weighs just 88kg more than if Koenigsegg had built the car with just a V8 and the Agera’s seven-speed automated manual transmission.

By any measure, the Regera is a technical tour de force. Only 80 will be built and they will all be very, very expensive.