Customer version of outrageous four-seater gets hybrid V8 option with world-beating power output.
Koenigsegg has finalised the customer specification of the Gemera, its four-seat ‘megacar’ – so named because it produces more than one megawatt of power.
It will be available with two hybrid powertrains, each featuring a new radial-flux electric motor that alone produces 588kW and 1250Nm.
Nicknamed the ‘Dark Matter’ for its claimed high power density, it is paired with an evolution of Koenigsegg’s clutchless and flywheel-less nine-speed transmission.
The combination reduces the powertrain’s overall size and weight compared with the direct drive system that was previously considered. That powertrain, used in the Koenigsegg Regera, used what was effectively a fixed-ratio gearbox with three electric motors to power the car at low speeds, before the engine kicked in at around 3500rpm.
The development of the new electric motor and gearbox has allowed Koenigsegg to transplant the Jesko hypercar’s 5.0-litre twin-turbocharged V8 into the Gemera.
Its exhaust has been relocated above the engine – making it what the Swedish specialist maker calls a ‘hot V8’ or HV8 – bringing a slight reduction in output from 1177kW in the Jesko (when running on E85 ethanol fuel) to 1103kW.
Nonetheless, the final result is a massive uplift in the Gemera’s overall power output: combined with the 588kW motor, the ‘hot V8’ powertrain can send 1691kW and 2750Nm through all four wheels.
With the previous direct drive powertrain – featuring a twin-turbocharged 2.0-litre three-cylinder petrol engine – it was said to produce 1268kW.
That system’s diminutive three-pot – nicknamed ‘The Tiny Friendly Giant’ by Koenigsegg for its relatively large output of 447kW – remains available in the production Gemera. However, the move to one electric motor, rather than three, means the ‘TFG’-based powertrain now produces 238kW less than originally planned, kicking out 1030kW in total. That still makes the 2.0-litre Gemera one of the most powerful hybrids in production.
Both systems use a 14kWh battery and feature torque vectoring at each corner, boosting both agility and stability at speed.
Company founder Christian von Koenigsegg said: “The Gemera HV8 is not only the most powerful and extreme production car on the planet Earth, with an astonishing 0.83kW per 1kg [0.81kW per 1kg], but it is also the most practical and user-friendly sports car ever created.
“Its incredible response, handling, engine sound, crisp transmission, spacious interior, and four-wheel drive systems combine to create an unprecedented and unparalleled driving experience, ready to set numerous records of performance around tracks and in straight lines.”
The Gemera is also Koenigsegg’s first foray into the GT market, the firm having only produced two-seat supercars up to this point. It features four seats and around 200 litres of storage space, putting it on a par with most city cars for practicality.
Production begins at the Swedish firm’s new Gripen Atelier factory next year, ahead of deliveries beginning in early 2025. Just 300 Gemeras will be built.
Prices have yet to be officially confirmed, but are all but certain to begin above the $1 million mark, given the Gemera’s boundary-pushing technologies and limited production