Koenigsegg : thEPERFORMANCE benchmark

Koenigsegg Regera - Geneva Motor Show 2015

We would all agree to say that performance is the motion of reaching a higher level, even if we have accomplished something great in the past. Performance: that’s what Koenigsegg Automotive is.

Engineering For instance, let’s consider the Koenigsegg most emblematic car, the One:1: 1 megawatt of power per kilo, a torque of 1371 Nm at 6000 rpm and from 0 to 400 km/h in approximately 20 seconds. That’s outstanding, from an engineering point of view. For the layman, that’s another question.

As a student in production and engineering project management, I consider Koenigsegg’s innovative policy as a benchmark. Their use of 3D printing solutions for prototyping and producing the variable turbo housing, full-carbon hollow wheels, rear active wing and hybrid motorization technology had led me to this opinion (Did the word "hybrid" actually came out of my mouth?).

Madness and hypercars Yes, I did use the word "hybrid ", and that reminds me of the Regera, at the Geneva 1

Motor Show 2015. This car is definitely sexy. On the specs sheet, the Regera has a heart beat of 700 horsepower from the electrical motor, and combined with its combustion engine, produces 1,500 horsepower. As the famous car journalist Chris Harris said, "I got to lay down before hearing those numbers …." Unfortunately, I didn’t follow his advice. That was my mistake.

See the picture above.1

This car reflects the art of madness: for a comparaison, its best competitor, the hybrid McLaren P1, delivers 903 horsepower combined . 2

However, there’s something I didn’t mentioned: we are in the hypercar market. This includes no limits, both for the car’s performance and for the price you pay to own a Koenigsegg. Let’s say you want to buy a basic Koenigsegg Agera, you will have to pay 1.5 million dollars. 3

The artist Let’s be clear, Mister Koenigsegg is not an engineer nor a MBA student. He’s a man who has a vision and lives his passion. His goal is to "make lighter cars and more fun to drive." Christian Von Koenigsegg’s vision definitely matches the quote of Mark Twain: "The two most important days in your life are the day you were born and the day you find out why." 4

I was wondering how he manages to be both a good technician and a good businessman. He told me something very interesting: "I’m quite open minded, and I studied a lot of physics. By the way, I don’t hide behind a title." He also mentioned that he had no desire to attend a university because he preferred to learn by experience. That really inspired me.

I discovered that performance is more of a personal process. It doesn’t depend upon which university you attended or which MBA program you completed. It’s about having the "guts" to reach higher. Koenigsegg is a true performance benchmark. ※

A special thanks to Mr. Christian Von Koenigsegg for answering my questions and let me understand his personal background.

A special thanks also to Eugene May and Olivier Barrucand who helped me to tune this article.

Nathanaël Landes - 12/04/2015

According to CarMagazine "The Top 10 supercars of 2014 " page 77 - 04/15/20142

According to the official Forbes website - Most Expensive Cars 2012 3

Quote used in the article « From purpose to impact » ritten by Nick Craig & Scott Snook, posted 4

in the april-march 2015 Harvard Business Review (HBR France).