Watch as Christian von Koenigsegg takes his latest baby, the Regera, out for a spin. The hybrid supercar is still in development but as you’ll see in the video the car drives just like a production model.

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But the Regera is unlike any other car currently on sale. It features Koenigsegg’s new Direct Drive system, which instead of a multi-gear transmission connects the engine with the wheels via a single-speed reduction gear and hydraulic coupling system. With only one gear, it means the wheels spin in proportion to engine revs. It also means the top speed is limited by the number of revs, in this case 248 mph at 8,250 rpm.

Such a system only works when the car is traveling at speeds above 30 mph, so below this there is an electric motor driving each of the rear wheels to provide motive force. The Regera also has an electric motor bolted to the engine that serves as the starter motor but can also recover energy as well as aid the engine by providing torque fill at lower revs.

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Von Koenigsegg expresses in the video how pleased he is at how the car simply accelerates without any shift feel. However, the company has developed a system that simulates the feeling of a downshift for drivers that want the old-school feeling. You can see it in action in the video. Since it was filmed on public roads, von Koenigsegg doesn’t push the car beyond a third of the throttle, which is why the speeds aren’t anywhere near as insane as you’d expect of a Koenigsegg supercar.

Koenigsegg plans to build 80 Regeras in total. That’s a lot for a company that’s only built about 130 cars all up. We’re told 20 build slots for the Regera have been sold and together with the Agera line of cars Koenigsegg has two years’ worth of work lined up. Production of the Regera is due to start in late 2016.

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