Gemera [Official] Koenigsegg Gemera (a.k.a. 4-door Koenigsegg?)
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The Koenigsegg Gemera is a limited production four-seat plug-in hybrid grand tourer (or 2-door sports saloon) to be manufactured by the Swedish automobile manufacturer Koenigsegg. It was unveiled on 3 March 2020 at an online broadcast by Koenigsegg at the cancelled Geneva Motor Show.
Tourbillon
Cornering Kingpin
Koenigsegg's 3-Cylinder Hypercar Dream Is Dead
Almost no one ordered the Tiny Friendly Giant 3-cylinder in the Koenigsegg Gemera, so Koenigsegg put the engine on ice.
carbuzz.com
"Speaking on the Top Gear Magazine podcast during a factory tour in Angelholm, Sweden, Christian von Koenigsegg was asked about the take rate for the TFG three-pot versus the Hot V8 (HV8) engine announced as an option on the Gemera last year. "So, in a nutshell, they (Gemera orders) all turned into V8s," explains von Koenigsegg.
"There were so few left that asked for the three-cylinder [that] we managed to convince almost all of them [to buy the V8]."
CvK has stated that they’re still developing Freevalve and I3 for maybe a future derivative of the Gemera. I totally understand customers are mostly going for the V8, would be odd to pay millions for a car with an I3.
Bridster
Oversteer Expert
Hah, I knew it!
That shit just doesn't work. And they couldn't make it work, so they introduced a much more powerful V8 version, knowing that almost every will pick it - which would give them the excuse to drop the I3.
It's so funny. We've had 4 long years where everyone - especially the press - was fanboying Koenigsegg and their "600hp" I3 with Freevalve, never hesitating to mention what a great engine it is and what great innovators Koenigsegg are - only for it to not materialize at all. A great lesson for anyone in the media to not treat concepts and targets as if they already were a reality, but somehow I don't think they'll take it as an opportunity to learn. Instead they are probably gonna take it as an opportunity to praise Koenigsegg even more, now that their car has more power!
Moctecus
Bavarian Cruiser
It would not surprise me in the slightest if they underestimated the challenge of bringing Freevalve to market, but I think the main issue is the I3 engine itself.Hah, I knew it!
That shit just doesn't work. And they couldn't make it work, so they introduced a much more powerful V8 version, knowing that almost every will pick it - which would give them the excuse to drop the I3.
The original Gemera concept would not have worked with the V8. B Sport has a good video on how Koenigsegg completely changed the powertrain layout during development. Once the V8 became a possibility, the I3 stopped being a necessity. And for other reasons, too.
The market and regulatory situation changed. For a while it looked like the writing was on the wall for big internal combustion engines, with a shift towards downsized engines, heavy hybridization, and EV-only powertrains seeming inevitable.
That is no longer the case.
With EV adoption not progressing as quickly as predicted/hoped, the ICE got another lease of life. And in the performance car segment, customers clearly rejected EV-only and downsized ICE powertrains.
Considering all this, why would Koenigsegg keep developing an I3 engine that is neither necessary nor desired?
I think it's a bit of a shame, because I3 engines can produce an interesting and characterful sound. And, of course, it would be great if the Freevalve technology actually made it to market. It's hardly surprising, though, that Koenigsegg customers would rather have the big V8 and 900 hp extra.
If Koenigsegg actually got somewhere with their Freevalve technology during the BFG development, the obvious next step would be to deploy it on their V8. If.
Bridster
Oversteer Expert
I don't think that's a completely accurate characterization.
The I3 was never a "necessity". The original Gemera concept wouldn't have worked with a V8, but the was no need for the original concept to necessarily come with an I3 engine in the first place. They could have designed it for a V8 from the get-go.
And why didn't they? Does it have something to do with the zeitgeist of moment, or with the "writing on the wall for ICEs"? I don't think so. As a small time manufacture, Koenigsegg are exempt from fleet emission laws and since even their non-hybrid V8 cars can pass standard emission laws, there was no reason to think that their hybrid car wouldn't be able to do the same (especially considering the production was originally planned for 2022). Granted, maybe they thought this small engine was simply "neat", but it definitely wasn't something they had to do, either for financial or compliance reasons. I also don't think that it was something they had to do for branding reasons - as transforming themselves into some sort of environmentally conscious manufacturer would be a huge long shot, given their continued use of 1000hp+ V8s and chasing of top speed and acceleration records. However, there definitely was a branding advantage from them using freevalve and being able to perpetuate the perception of themselves as great inventors and pioneers of new technologies. Which, I think, is a big part of why they went with this I3.
As to whether them dropping the I3 has something to do with the customer reaction, that's a fair question. The Gemera, apparently, is yet to sell out. This suggests that indeed the demand for the car hasn't been as strong as they might have anticipated. Putting in an I3 might have been a miscalculation on their part.
At the same time, though, the Gemera is still not sold out, despite the addition of a V8 a year ago. That's in addition to them only having the I3 engine running at 4500RPM in 2022 (the year the car was supposed to come out), and them not ever putting Freevalve on their V8. So I am pretty sure that whether the I3 was appreciated by the customers or not, they still wouldn't be able to deliver without additional major delays.
Revvd
Oversteer Expert
The way I see it, the I3 engine could still be a perfectly good engine for some other project. It's just that the performance and economy gains over a conventional engine with valve timing are very marginal.
But since they've already invested who knows how much money in this engine, and given how they've extended their production capability at the factory, maybe an entry level Koenigsegg with I3 might be in the cards for the future.
It's just strange to me that they would present both engine options for Gemera 5 months ago at the official reveal of the finalized version. I think if there was some fundamental problem with the I3, they could have just said: we've reworked the car and now everyone gets a V8 right there and then, at the presentation. Instead of just nonchalantly dropping that info in an obscure podcast, and only after you were just asked about the customer order split
But since they've already invested who knows how much money in this engine, and given how they've extended their production capability at the factory, maybe an entry level Koenigsegg with I3 might be in the cards for the future.
It's just strange to me that they would present both engine options for Gemera 5 months ago at the official reveal of the finalized version. I think if there was some fundamental problem with the I3, they could have just said: we've reworked the car and now everyone gets a V8 right there and then, at the presentation. Instead of just nonchalantly dropping that info in an obscure podcast, and only after you were just asked about the customer order split
Jonathan19
Premium+
New production Gemera Interior!
Tourbillon
Cornering Kingpin
That screens f#cking massive!New production Gemera Interior leak!
Tourbillon
Cornering Kingpin
@Jonathan19
Literally some say, zero comparison. I'm inclined to agree. Bugatti have smashed it with the new hypercar!
Literally some say, zero comparison. I'm inclined to agree. Bugatti have smashed it with the new hypercar!
Revvd
Oversteer Expert
I'm glad the laggy gyro screen is gone. But I'm baffled by the use of Regera steering wheel, an 8 year old design by now, which itself is based on Agera unit, dating back to 2010.New production Gemera Interior!
Centurion
Apex Apex Predator
I think the screen looks tacked on and after market. There might be a purpose for it as an entertinament screen for the car when parked. The car has 4 cup holders in the back! It's a lounge.
Should be retractable like the Tourbillion.
KiwiRob
Autotechnik Ace
Koenigsegg's 3-Cylinder Hypercar Dream Is Dead
Almost no one ordered the Tiny Friendly Giant 3-cylinder in the Koenigsegg Gemera, so Koenigsegg put the engine on ice.
"Speaking on the Top Gear Magazine podcast during a factory tour in Angelholm, Sweden, Christian von Koenigsegg was asked about the take rate for the TFG three-pot versus the Hot V8 (HV8) engine announced as an option on the Gemera last year. "So, in a nutshell, they (Gemera orders) all turned into V8s," explains von Koenigsegg.
"There were so few left that asked for the three-cylinder [that] we managed to convince almost all of them [to buy the V8]."
In a nutshell you had something innovative and game changing then killed it by announcing the V8 version. Maybe you should have built the first ones as i3's then at a later stage announced the V8. Another V8 hypercar big freaking whoopee.
iamlegend007
Einsteiger Fahrer
Its two cooled and two heated , same at the back. So basically each person at capacity can have 1 cold drink and 1 hot drink. Is it likely this would happen? No but just a party trick
empower77
Kraftkurve King
Konigseggs do nothing for me. I admit I’ve never seen one IRL but I’ve not been impressed from all the pics/ articles etc I’ve read.
That said, I’ve seen a P1 and a Huyara together, a Chiron and a Huyara together and the P1 and the Chiron were way more desirable.. A Utopia on the other hand would be quite something to behold.
These boutique manufacturers exist but do hardly anything to give me the fizz. I might be old school in my thinking over here but if I’m spending that much money I’d rather have a product from a big name brand like VW/ Daimler/ BMW etc that do all of the requisite testing before bringing a product to market…
That said, I’ve seen a P1 and a Huyara together, a Chiron and a Huyara together and the P1 and the Chiron were way more desirable.. A Utopia on the other hand would be quite something to behold.
These boutique manufacturers exist but do hardly anything to give me the fizz. I might be old school in my thinking over here but if I’m spending that much money I’d rather have a product from a big name brand like VW/ Daimler/ BMW etc that do all of the requisite testing before bringing a product to market…
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Koenigsegg
Koenigsegg Automotive AB is a Swedish manufacturer of high-performance sports cars based in Ängelholm, Skåne County, Sweden.
The company was founded in 1994 in Sweden by Christian von Koenigsegg, to produce a "world-class" sports car. Many years of
development and testing led to the CC8S, the company's first street-legal production car which was introduced in 2002.
Official website: Koenigsegg
Official website: Koenigsegg
