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The Koenigsegg Gemera is a four-seater, family-friendly, hybrid megacar

A high-performance vehicle that's perfect for your next family road trip.


Swedish high-performance carmaker Koenigsegg has revealed its latest fantastical creation in the Koenigsegg Gemera, a plug-in hybrid billed as an "entirely new category of megacar".

The first so-called 'Mega-GT' in the world, the Gemera is also Koenigsegg's first four-seater, able to accommodate four adults comfortably with room to spare for their luggage.

Making its online debut in lieu of the cancelled Geneva motor show, Koenigsegg announced that only 300 Gemeras will be produced worldwide, each of them priced at US$1.7 million (AU$2.56 million).

"The Gemera is a completely new category of car where extreme megacar meets spacious interior and ultimate environmental consciousness," CEO and founder Christian von Koenigsegg said. "We call it a Mega-GT."

The Gemera produces a combined 1.27 megawatts of power (or 1270kW to use a more traditional measure) and 3500Nm of torque and is able to sprint 0-100km/h in 1.9 seconds with a top speed of 400km/h.

It's powered by three electric motors, one on each rear wheel and one on the crankshaft of the engine, and a 2.0-litre, three-cylinder twin-turbo Freevalve engine, plus an 800-volt battery with a 50km range in electric-only mode.

On its own, the dry-sumped, cam-less FreeValve combustion engine (nicknamed the 'Tiny Friendly Giant' by Koenigsegg) is capable of generating around 450kW of power and 600Nm of torque. While those sound like massive outputs for such a modestly-sized three-pot, Koenigsegg's Freevalve subsidiary has been at work on the technology for some time, in partnership with Chinese automaker, Qoros.

Koenigsegg claims the mix of all-wheel steering, all-wheel drive and all-wheel torque leads to a "safe, stable and exhilarating drive".

While the Swedish manufacturer promises the Gemera can deliver the kind of growl we're accustomed to from a megacar, the electric motors also mean it can be driven completely silent up to 300km/h in EV mode.

However, the car's CO2-neutral claims can only be fulfilled when it has been plugged in and filled with second-generation ethanol or CO2-neutral methanol, which Koenigsegg claims will make it as carbon-neutral as an electric car using a 'good' power source.

If these fuel sources aren't available, the Gemera can be driven on E85 or normal petrol. Replacing traditional shaft-driven cams with electro-hydraulically controlled valves allows the engine to tailor valve opening duration and overlap, giving it the flexibility for full flex-fuel capability from traditional petrol power to 100 percent biofuels, along with contributing to those massive combustion engine figures.

Looks-wise, the Gemera borrows from the first-ever Koenigsegg – the CC from 1996 – with its "jet fighter-inspired windshield", and features statement-making automated scissor doors and a cocoon-like interior.

"The design of the Gemera is inspired by the shape of an egg for the layout of the Gemera's cabin, as it gives a sense of cocooning, protection, symmetry and balance," Koenigsegg's head of design, Sasha, Selipanov, said.

Koenigsegg has also made a concerted effort to up the comfort factor of the car, calling attention to its four cold and four warm cup holders, memory foam seats, rear and front seat infotainment displays, Apple CarPlay and on-board WiFi, amongst other "creature comforts".

Finally, the Gemera is a megacar with safety front of mind, offering six smart airbags, a reversing camera, ABS, two fire extinguishers and – wait for it – ISOFIX points on the rear seats.

Perfect for the school run.

Susannah Guthrie

Susannah Guthrie has been a journalist for over a decade, covering everything from world news to fashion, entertainment, health and now cars. Having previously worked across titles like The New Daily, Elle, Harper's Bazaar, People Magazine and Cosmopolitan, Susannah now relishes testing family cars with the help of her husband and two-year-old son.

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