cars news 10: We Hear: Koenigsegg Developing 1.6-Liter Engine with 400 HP

Koenigsegg recently unveiled the Regera supercar that takes aim at the Bugatti Chiron. Along with three electric motors, the car boasts a 5.0-liter twin-turbo V-8 for a total output of 1,500 hp. Now, the automaker is preparing a smaller, yet equally impressive, engine.

Speaking with CarBuzz, Koenigsegg boss Christian von Koenigsegg discussed the future of a potent 1.6-liter engine. “We are currently working on a 1.6-liter engine with Chinese carmaker Qoros that will have the potential to produce 400 hp or more. The same principles with which we designed the Agera and Regera engines can be applied to these smaller engines,” he said in the interview.

Although Koenigsegg has no plans to put the engine into production right now, maybe we’ll see the technology in the future. The automaker’s sister company FreeValve has partnered with Qoros on camless technology, which allows for greater control over an engine’s intake and exhaust. Koenigsegg will start using FreeValve engine technology to boost efficiency by 3 to 4 percent. The tech should also help make powertrains smaller yet more powerful.

In the interview, von Koenigsegg also expressed strong opinions of his competition’s use of electric turbos. “It is interesting in many ways, but a bit clumsy, expensive, and heavy when it can be done in a simpler way,” he said. Using a motor to power the compressor of a turbocharger increases back pressure on the engine, so Koenigsegg is looking to maintain a positive ratio between intake boost and exhaust back pressure. The goal is to get as much heat as possible from the combustion to the turbo.

Pictured below is the Koenigsegg Regera.

Source: CarBuzz