2021 Koenigsegg Regera on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Koenigsegg's resolution for 2022 is to launch a new hypercar

Koenigsegg's resolution for 2022 is one that most enthusiasts can agree with: "more ultimate performance." While details are few and far between, the Swedish firm published a dark preview image on its social media channels that gives us an early look at a new hypercar. As is often the case, the photo asks more questions than it answers. What's intriguing is that the model seems to wear a far more angular exterior design than the 1,600-horsepower Jesko, which is characterized by curved lines. Even the Agera RS was more rounded. We won't go as far as calling the new car retro, but it's certainly worth noting that Koenigsegg's early models (like the CC8S) were also rather square. Another point worth bringing up is that throwback design cues sell well in the supercar and hypercar segments. Bugatti had no trouble selling 10 examples of the Chiron-derived Centodieci, which is a tribute to the EB110 built in the 1990s. And, the born-again Lamborghini Countach was sold out before its unveiling in 2021; it's limited to 112 units. Koenigsegg's CC8S is turning 20 in 2022, if you catch our drift. We're told that Koenigsegg will deliver more ultimate performance through "clever engineering and optimal design," so the new model likely has a few tech tricks up its sleeve. It won't be the kind of technology that's dominating CES 2022: Koenigsegg has made it clear that its customers want to drive themselves and that an autonomous car isn't in its pipeline. However, the company is experimenting with extremely innovative ideas in the powertrain department (its four-seater Gemera is powered by a 1,700-horsepower gasoline-electric hybrid powertrain built around a camless three-cylinder engine) so it's reasonable to assume that the new model's specifications sheet will surprise us. Color us intrigued, then. More information about the next Koenigsegg model will emerge in the coming months. Related Video: Koenigsegg Coupe Supercars

EU Parliament allows low-volume automakers to sell ICE cars after 2035

Bloomberg recently ran a piece about how new cars are "just for the rich" thanks to constraints — real and artificial — that have boosted prices and profits. It's possible internal combustion engines will end up behind the same paywall. The European Parliament has been laying out the regulations that will guide the transport industry to and beyond 2035, when the EU will forbid sales of new ICE-powered passenger cars and vans. The latest step in the process was to approve a carveout for automakers that register fewer than 1,000 cars per year. Basically, every independent hypercar maker on The Continent plus Bugatti would be allowed to sell 1,000 units annually. The vote was probably closer than some expected, with 340 votes in favor, 279 against, and 21 abstentions, meaning just 40 parliamentarians made the provision possible. We're sure we haven't heard the end of it, either. Italy and its super sports car makers have publicly stated their desires for an exception to the ban. Never mind that outfits like Pagani, Bugatti, and Koenigsegg have barely made 1,000 cars apiece throughout their lifespans, if the rules would allow 1,000 new Jeskos on the road every year, why not allow 1,000 ICE Lamborghinis out of Sant'Agata's total annual production?   As Autocar noted, the carveout doesn't apply to the UK, the island nation also banning new ICE sales in 2035. Autocar reports that government officials there are considering such a measure. It would be vastly more important in the UK where cottage industry carmaking — Ariel, BAC, Ginetta, Morgan, and so on — is a national point of pride.  For the rest of the enthusiast public, carbon-neutral synthetic fuels or Toyota's hydrogen-fueled ICE efforts might be the best currently known bets to save the ICE soundtrack. 2035 is around the corner from a development standpoint but ages away from a tech standpoint, so who knows what kind of world we'll be looking at on the other side. It's still going to sound like hypercars, though. Government/Legal Bugatti Koenigsegg Pagani

Koenigsegg livestreaming debut of 'latest family member' at 12:00 EDT Friday

On January 1 this year, Koenigsegg teased a new vehicle on Instagram with the caption, "Dear 2022, here's our New Year's resolution - More ultimate performance through clever engineering and optimal design." The company broke its ensuing silence Thursday night by teasing a live debut to begin at 12 p.m. Eastern / 9 a.m. Pacific in Pebble Beach. The teaser image boasts a silhouette that looks like the CC8, the Swedish manufacturer's first car, with the addition of a roof scoop. Beyond that, we have nothing more than gathered speculation as to what it could be. There's the entry-level Koenigsegg that founder Christian von Koenigsegg has said for a while that he wanted to release. There's the CC12 project with Swiss retailer and supercar garage Carage, which appears based on the CC8S production prototype and would satisfy the note about "ultimate performance and clever engineering," but the timing is off; in April, Carage owner Kim Struve said the CC12 would "be released in a year's time." The Supercar Blog has heard this new thing could be Christian's 50th birthday gift to himself, called the Annira or the CC850S, packing more than 1,300 horsepower into a 1,300-pound curb weight and fitted with a "magic transmission." Some surmise it's Koenigsegg finally reckoning with a battery-electric vehicle, but we think that's the longest shot of all. He told CarBuzz two years ago, "It actually would be much easier for us to just do a pure electric car, because we could throw away complexity but add weight. But I'd rather have complexity in the super expensive sports car than add weight."   That seems to us to be enough guessing for today. The only other rumors we've heard that we would believe true are that there will be a tiny production run and every unit is already sold out. We have but a few hours to find out what's really happening. Based on the company's products since, oh, ever, it will probably be special. Related Video Koenigsegg Coupe Luxury Special and Limited Editions Performance Supercars Pebble Beach