Swedish boutique carmaker Koenigsegg often gets overlooked in the horsepower war between big names like Bugatti, Lamborghini, and Ferrari. That’s unfair, because the independently owned brand builds some of the fastest, most powerful, and most high-tech cars in the world. One of them is a gasoline-electric hybrid, and it’s paving the way for an all-electric model.
Company founder Christian von Koenigsegg told Canadian website Driving he recently added a Tesla Model S to his fleet of personal vehicles. He’s impressed by the advances Tesla has achieved in a relatively short amount of time, and spending time behind the wheel of his Model S made him seriously consider introducing an electric car. He concluded the technology isn’t ready yet, however.
“For normal cars, [electric drivetrains] are already viable, because if a normal car is 200 kilos heavier it doesn’t really matter too much, you don’t notice the weight. But in a sports car it matters. So I think the normal car will get there sooner,” he said in an interview. He expects batteries will get lighter and more efficient. He’s keeping a close eye on how the technology evolves. He expects it will be feasible to build a car like the Agera RS (pictured) without an internal combustion engine in five or 10 years.
Koenigsegg feels ready to surf the electric car wave when the time comes. Speaking to AutoGuide, he argued the sold-out Regera (pictured) would probably be the most advanced EV in the world if it ditched its twin-turbocharged 5.0-liter V8 engine. The electric part of the hybrid system provides 700 horsepower, nearly half of the Regera’s 1,500-hp output, yet the battery pack weighs only 154 pounds.
Koenigsegg’s future will bring more hybrid cars and, eventually, a battery-electric model. Here’s what it won’t bring: SUVs.
“I’m not a fan of SUVs from a dynamic perspective. We’re doing sports cars, not everyday cars. I know there are sporty SUVs, but because they have a higher center of gravity they’re not as dynamic,” he opined. That doesn’t mean you won’t be able to take your family and their gear in a Koenigsegg. In 2016, the company told Top Gear it had already started developing its first-ever sedan. Considering the company’s push towards batteries as a source of power, we wouldn’t be surprised if it incorporates some form of electrification.