Koenigsegg may have the hardware to compete with heavyweights such as Ferrari or Lamborghini, but the Swedish automaker remains a low-scale operation. In the years to come, that appears set to change.
CEO and founder Cristian von Koenigsegg told Bloomberg in a report last Friday that after 2022, he has plans to build thousands of cars per year. The goal would place his company in striking distance of Ferrari and Lamborghini, which both build fewer than 10,000 cars annually today. In the near-term, von Koenigsegg plans to increase production from around a dozen supercars per year to a few hundred, with the help of a new "entry-level" model and a new partnership with China's NEVS. The executive said the entry-level supercar won't exactly be cheap, but it will undercut models like the Agera and unlock sales volume. Previous reports pegged the price at $1,050,000.
Koenigsegg opened 2019 with a bang when the company signed a deal with NEVS to develop the new supercar, which will be a hybrid and feature cam-less engine technology. Koenigsegg gained access to the former Saab plant in Sweden to build cars, while NEVS received a minority stake in the supercar maker. Both also created a new joint venture in the partnership.
Von Koenigsegg wouldn't share any other details other than what he's presented in the past about the cam-less engine technology—it will supposedly make the new supercar carbon dioxide-neutral—but he told Bloomberg he wants to create vehicle technology that "trickles down" to improve other cars. Koenigsegg claims the new technology will increase acceleration and torque while cutting emissions and fuel consumption. Previously, he said the engine could start with only pure alcohol, which negates the need for a fuel mixture. He also aims to license the technology, which is currently under development, to other automakers.
Little else is known about the new supercar, but it's clear a lot rides on the new Koenigsegg model and possibly others to come. As for when we'll see the car, it may show up as early as 2020.