Koenigsegg Regera may be the most advanced sports car ever

Koenigsegg Regera (photo: Koenigsegg)

Boutique Swedish automaker Koenigsegg revealed its new Regera "megacar" at the Geneva Motor Show on Tuesday. It just may be the most advanced sports car ever

Koenigsegg is known for building lightweight racecar-like track-capable road cars, but the Regera is focused more on practicality, luxury and absolutely dominating anything else on the street, the company boasted in a release.

Koenigsegg has the stats to back up the boasts though. With 1,500 horsepower on tap, there is no production car more powerful than the Regera and with a 0-to-400 km/h (0-250 mph) time of less than 20 seconds, there is no production car quicker.

The Regera achieves these figures with a combination gasoline 5.0-litre twin turbo V8 and three electric motors that work in a way that’s not at all similar to the way a traditional hybrid car does. The V8 is hooked up to a new patented Koenigsegg Direct Drive transmission (or KDD) that foregoes the typical gears to give the rear wheels 100 percent of the available torque and completely avoid any parasitic energy loss. Two of the three electric motors meanwhile are fitted to the rear wheels to add even more power, while the third is fitted to the crankshaft and acts in part as a starter.

While the KDD system adds 88 kg to the car versus a traditional transmission, the Regera still comes in at a very low curb weight of just 1,628 kg (3,589 lbs). The layout of its axle-driving electric motors also mean it can operate in a pure EV mode, with a range of 50 km (30 miles).

The Regera features plug-in recharging via a type-2 mode-3 charging port hidden behind the rear licence plate, but the car's electric motors can also be charged by the gasoline engine.

The car also comes with a “Battery Drain Mode” (BDM) in which you input your destination, hit BDM and the car will calculate, based on your driving behaviour, what proportion of electric power and gasoline to use so that the battery is just about empty and ready to recharge when you get there.

The EV mode is just one of several features that give the Regera its “bi-polar” feel—that is, its ability to deliver unbeatable performance and a soft, smooth ride during everyday use. The other is the car’s soft engine mounts, which stay soft in normal conditions to isolate engine vibrations, but stiffen to solidify the car when at speed.

A fully foldable top-mounted active rear wing rounds out the host of aerodynamic aids that surround the car’s exterior, and meets a unique “fish-tail” exhaust outlet not seen on a production car in approximately 50 years.

Other interesting details includes Koenigsegg’s new unique “constellation” daytime running lights, a set of tiny LEDs spread around the headlight cluster in an effect that mimics the glitter of a starry night sky.

Koenigsegg calls the Regera the first “fully robotized car.” At the touch of its remote’s button, or your smartphone, any or all of the car’s opening body panels, from the rear engine cover to the auto-folding mirrors to the dihedral-opening “helix” doors, can be opened up.

Koenigsegg plans to build just 80 examples of the Regera, saying the number symbolizes “the principle of domination, control and achievement in Pythagorean numerology” – and each will cost roughly $1.89 million.

In addition to the Regera, Koenigsegg also unveiled their new Agera RS, the latest evolution of the Agera in Geneva. The new RS uses the same 5.0-liter twin-turbo V8 as the previous versions, but it is tuned here to produce 1,160 horsepower. While not as powerful as the Regera or last year's Agera One:1 it is still one of the fastest cars available. It's also an increase of 36 hp over the Agera R (1,124 hp), and even more over the Agera S (1,016) and "base" Agera (927). Koenigsegg will only make 25 examples of the RS, 10 of which had already pre-sold before the vehicle made its debut.