Through its engineering and innovative policy, Koenigsegg Automotive gives an authentic definition of performance. If you ask to Mr. Christian Von Koenigsegg how he reached his performance level, you will be amazed : through experience and concrete projects, not through engineering colleges … Quite inspiring.

1. Koenigsegg : thE
PERFORMANCE 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 Geneva1
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

2. 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 20123
Quote used in the article « From purpose to impact » ritten by Nick Craig & Scott Snook, posted4
in the april-march 2015 Harvard Business Review (HBR France).