Koenigsegg Regera

Regera at a glance

Koenigsegg's earlier models - the Koenigsegg CCX and the Koenigsegg Agera R - and the full range are in the Koenigsegg catalogue.

Concept and development

The Regera was Koenigsegg's first hybrid and the first car with its Direct Drive system. According to Wikipedia, the idea grew after Christian von Koenigsegg bought a Tesla Model S P85+ in 2013 and was impressed by the instant response of the electric drive. He wanted a car that would combine that feeling with the power of a large combustion engine - and do it without the weight and complexity of a conventional gearbox.

The car was designed by Christian von Koenigsegg and Joachim Nordwall and unveiled at the Geneva motor show in March 2015. It was positioned as a more practical and luxurious grand tourer than the Agera (and later the Jesko), with more sound insulation, softer engine mounts at low speed and a comfortable interior. Most build slots were taken at the unveiling, and Koenigsegg announced on 13 June 2017 that all cars had been sold. Production started in 2016 and ended in 2022; from late 2021 the Regera shared the assembly line with the Jesko.

Koenigsegg Direct Drive explained

The heart of the Regera is the drivetrain. The seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox of the Agera was removed. In its place the engine drives the rear axle through a single fixed ratio: the crankshaft turns 2.73 times for every turn of the output shaft. Three electric motors fill the gaps that a single gear would otherwise leave:

• a 160 kW YASA motor-generator on the crankshaft works as starter, generator and torque filler;
• two 180 kW YASA motors, one on each rear wheel shaft, provide drive at low speed, torque vectoring and traction control.

Below about 48 km/h the wheel motors do most of the work, and a hydraulic coupling - called HydraCoup by Koenigsegg - lets the engine slip. Reverse uses the electric motors only. Above about 48 km/h the coupling locks, and engine speed then follows road speed directly. A paddle on the steering wheel simulates a downshift: the coupling slips, the engine revs rise and more power becomes available at lower speeds. The car can also be driven as a pure electric vehicle for about 35 km.

The battery was developed by Rimac. It is a liquid-cooled 4.5 kWh lithium-ion pack running at 800 volts; Koenigsegg says the Regera was the world's first production car with an 800-volt system when it was presented in 2015. Koenigsegg gives the pack weight as 66 kg including coolant (Wikipedia gives 75 kg), with a discharge rate of 525 kW and a recharge rate of up to 200 kW. According to the company, the motors, battery and Direct Drive together added only 88 kg compared with a version using a dual-clutch gearbox and no electric system.

Engine and performance

The combustion engine is Koenigsegg's own 5.0-litre V8 with a 90° bank angle, two overhead camshafts per bank, four valves per cylinder, dry-sump lubrication and two 3D-printed variable-geometry turbochargers. On 95 RON petrol it produces 820 kW (1,115 PS) at 7,800 rpm and 1,280 Nm at 4,100 rpm, and it revs to 8,250 rpm. A flex-fuel sensor recognises E85 biofuel and allows more power.

The combined maximum is lower than the simple sum of the engine and motor figures; neither source gives a breakdown of how it is calculated. Koenigsegg's own model page lists 1,280 Nm as the maximum torque, which is the engine figure; Wikipedia gives 2,000 Nm for the combined system.

Koenigsegg's claims are 0–100 km/h in 2.8 seconds, 0–200 km/h in 6.6 seconds, 0–300 km/h in 10.9 seconds and 0–400 km/h in about 20 seconds, as well as 150–250 km/h in 3.9 seconds.

Records

On 23 September 2019 at the Råda military airfield in Sweden, driver Sonny Persson took the Regera from 0 to 400 km/h and back to a stop in 31.49 seconds, a record at the time. On 16 June 2023, after the Rimac Nevera had lowered the mark to 29.93 seconds, Koenigsegg returned to Örebro airport with driver Markus Lundh and set 28.81 seconds: 0–400 km/h in 20.68 seconds over 1,483 m and the stop in 8.13 seconds, a total distance of 1,905 m.

Design and robotised body

The body is a two-door targa with a roof panel that can be stored in the boot. Koenigsegg called the Regera "fully robotised": hydraulic pumps, accumulators and lifters open and close all the body panels, move the rear wing and raise the chassis, and they can be operated remotely. Proximity sensors on the doors and mirrors stop them hitting obstacles.

The hydraulic rear wing folds away when it is not needed, and active flaps under the nose change the airflow beneath the car. Koenigsegg gives 450 kg of downforce at 250 km/h. Details include headlamps with small fans to clear condensation, daytime running lights arranged like a constellation of stars on a carbon-fibre background, and a fishtail exhaust by Akrapovič; the large central outlet vents cooling air from the battery and electronics, not engine exhaust.

Suspension uses double wishbones with chrome-molybdenum steel arms and Koenigsegg's "Triplex" damper system with a third rear Öhlins damper that resists squat under acceleration. Carbon-ceramic brakes measure 397 mm at the front and 380 mm at the rear. Inside, the Regera has electrically adjustable memory-foam seats, a 9-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay, 4G and Wi-Fi, cameras and over-the-air updates.

Ghost Package and special cars

Shortly before the Geneva motor show in 2018 Koenigsegg revealed an optional Ghost Package. It adds a longer front splitter and side sills, canards on the front wings and fixed winglets on the rear quarters, and Koenigsegg claims more than 20% extra downforce. Cars with the package run on Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tyres.

Many Regeras were finished to individual specifications and given names, including the KNC (Koenigsegg Naked Carbon), Raven, Kejsare, d'Elegance, Golden Knight and Gotham. More about the company is in our Koenigsegg history.

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