Inflight Magazine of Brussels Airlines

Swede dreams

Machine obsessed Christian von Koenigsegg is the CEO of the Swedish supercar company of the same name. Matt Warnock joins him in the fast lane

While most little boys’ heads were filled with romantic visions of piloting rocket ships, scoring the winning goal in the World Cup Finals or taming the Wild West on horseback, one young Swede’s innocent fantasies were tinged with the rich aroma of gasoline, brake oil and burnt rubber.

“I’ve always been obsessed with mechanics,” admits Christian von Koenigsegg, the 35-year-old founder and CEO of the Swedish high-performance manufacturer that bears his name. “Ever since I was a child, it’s been my dream to build the ultimate supercar.”

It’s a confession that could sound wistful had the ambition not been realised quite so emphatically and by one so staggeringly young. In less than 15 years, the Koenigsegg marque has gone from a brainchild to a thunderous reality which rivals other supercar marques that boast hundreds of millions more in spending power and several decades in prestige.

“I guess, on the surface, it might sound like it’s been easy, but it’s been anything but. My concept was always for a twoseater, mid-engined car based on F1 technology and we began working on that in 1994. We finally had a prototype ready by 1997, which was important in terms of media attention and creating interest, however it wasn’t until 2002 that we had our first preproduction car and it was a year after that before the first vehicle was shipped to a client.”

That first Koenigsegg was the CC8S, an impressive piece of engineering with 655-break-horse-power propelling a fully-carbon chassis that weighed just 1180kg to a top speed of 390kmph. “If there’s a secret to our success it was here in the build up to the release of the CC8S. It was essential to plan thoroughly and get everything just right. We were only a small team, but every person brought consummate expertise and we each believed absolutely and passionately in our goals.”

Two years later came the next model – the CCR – which was essentially a modification of the previous CC8S. “From both an engineering and business perspective, I’ve always adhered to the principle that if it’s not broken, don’t fix it. At Koenigsegg, we believe in evolution, not revolution.”

With an additional 150bhp under the hood, it was this model that really launched Koenigsegg as a major player in the supercar sector. The CCR took the Guinness World Record for world’s fastest road car and also earned a slightly more dubious honour when a driver was issued with the biggest speeding ticket ever for clocking up 388kmph during the Gumball Rally in Texas.

“Our biggest markets at the time were the UK, the UAE and Norway, however we also sold Koenigseggs to Austria, Russia, Hong Kong, France and Germany. We then started selling to Spain where, especially in the south, there’s the jet set lifestyle that embraces such excesses, but we realised the time was right to take the brand to a truly global audience,” says Christian.

The result was the launch of the CCX in 2006. Again, evolution was the name of the game; the CCX is basically a CCR with the necessary modifications made to meet the stricter regulations and tests that exist in countries such as the US. “Americans love extreme performance cars, so we definitely saw that as a huge potential market. Therefore, we added more creature comforts and made the CCX so that it could be quite heavily customised – elements that also appeal to an American audience.” It’s a strategy that has definitely worked. “It’s always important to consider the needs and desires of each of your markets and tailor your product accordingly,” Christian advises.

Competing against the might of mega-marques such as Ferrari, Porsche and Lamborghini may seem daunting but Christian reveals that, in fact, that was never the intention. “We’d have been dead in the water if we had. The key to finding our niche has been in the engineering and exclusivity.”

Ferrari sell over 5,000 vehicles per year, whereas Koenigsegg have been building two cars per month and, over the next four years, will release just 400 CCXs, making them extremely desirable.

“We’ve sold to customers all over the world, from 27 to 70-years-olds, but every one of them has had a genuine appreciation of the engineering and technology that goes into their Koenigsegg. Our drivers are enthusiasts, not playboys, and they understand that we pour our hearts in to their cars; that each vehicle has a soul.” That combination of passion, progress and scarcity gives the brand an impact that is almost bespoke or bijou in terms of appeal and price.

Retailing at between €450,000 and €600,000, hearts and souls are not all the Koenigsegg team pour into each vehicle. The fixtures and fittings are handmade by craftsmen and, in order to achieve a car that is totally unique, many of the parts themselves had to first be invented themselves. If producing the world’s best supercar has always been the destination, then innovation has been the driving force behind Koenigsegg.

However, Christian insists that, unlike other supercar manufacturers that have recently expanded their ranges to include tourers or even 4×4s, Koenigsegg’s advances will always be dedicated to the world of high performance. “If we keep pushing the envelope, striving to produce the best and fastest car possible, there will always be a dedicated market for our product.”

Pushing the envelope in 2007 has led to the addition of the ‘Direct Focus Instrument Cluster’ – another original Koenigsegg design, which combines all the vital on-dash information into a single dial, ensuring that the driver’s eyes are back on the road at least 50% faster. The year has also seen the roll out of the CCGT model, which complies with race regulations and is surely the precursor to a Koenigsegg race team competing in GT1; however, the company announced their most exciting innovation at March’s Geneva Motor Show in the form of the CCXR.

On the surface, the new model looks identical to the current CCX, but underneath it’s modified to run on Bio Fuel, making it the world’s first enviro-supercar. “With people rightly becoming more and more concerned about carbon emissions, we saw an opportunity and responsibility to do something really special.”

Is this the lesson that Christian thinks other businesses should follow? “Absolutely, we wanted to prove that even a small company like us could afford to develop environmentally focused solutions. However, I think companies should also embrace what others see as limitations. We’ll never churn out thousands of cars a year, but we can invest time, emotion and resources to produce the kind of perfection that only small, focused and passionate companies can hope for.”

The Koenigsegg story is a lesson that, in an increasingly luxury-obsessed world, by finding a niche – no matter how small or specialist – and valuing quality over quantity, a product will always find a market. But, more than anything else, it’s an ode to what can be achieved by following your dreams.

www.koenigsegg.com

FR » Rêve de Suède

Christian von Koenigsegg, 35 ans, le fondateur et CEO de la grande entreprise de construction automobile suédoise éponyme a toujours été obsédé par les mécaniques, “Déjà, tout petit, mon rêve était de construire le modèle ultime de voiture de course”. Ce rêve, il l’a réalisé alors qu’il n’avait pas 15 ans, fondant une compagnie qui rivalise avec les méga-marques des firmes les plus établies: Ferrari, Porsche et Lamborghini.

“Mon concept a toujours été la voiture à deux places, de sport avec moteur central, basé sur la technologie F1.” Koenigsegg a mis huit ans pour créer la CC8S, une impressionnante pièce d’ingénierie avec un moteur de 655 chevaux propulsant un châssis en carbone plein de 1180kg, à une vitesse maximale de 390km/h. Deux ans plus tard, la firme lançait la CCR, une version modifiée de la première, la positionnant comme un acteur essentiel dans le secteur des voitures de sport, “nous croyons dans l’évolution, pas la révolution”. Ce modèle figure au ‘Guinness World Record’ comme la routière la plus rapide du monde.

D’autres modèles ont suivi: la CCX, la CCGT, conforme aux normes en matière de courses, et leur plus fascinante innovation, dévoilée cette année, la première voiture éco-sport dans le monde avec moteur au Bio-Fuel CCXR. “Face à la sensibilité croissante des gens pour les émissions de carbone, nous avons vu une opportunité de nous investir de façon responsable dans quelque chose de vraiment spécial.”

Ferrari vend plus de 5 000 véhicules par an, mais au cours des quatre prochaines années Koenigsegg distribuera seulement 400 CCX, dont le coût varie entre €450 000-€600 000. Nous ne produirons jamais des milliers de voitures en série chaque année, mais nous pouvons investir dans le temps, l’émotion et les ressources pour atteindre cette forme de perfection que seules les petites sociétés, centrées sur un objectif précis et passionnées peuvent réaliser.”

NL » Swede dreams

Machinefanaat Christian von Koenigsegg is de CEO van het Zweedse supersportwagenbedrijf met dezelfde naam. Voor een gesprek met Matt Warnock schakelt hij eventjes een versnelling lager.

Christian von Koenigsegg, de 35-jarige oprichter en CEO van het gelijknamige Zweedse supersportwagenbedrijf, is altijd al bezeten geweest door techniek. ‘Als kind al droomde ik ervan de ultieme supersportwagen te bouwen.’ Hij deed er uiteindelijk minder dan 15 jaar over, en stampte een bedrijf uit de grond dat het durft op te nemen tegen de meer gevestigde reuzen Ferrari, Porsche en Lamborghini.

‘Ik had altijd een tweezitter met middenmotor gebaseerd op de F1-technologie voor ogen.’ Koenigsegg deed acht jaar over de bouw van zijn CC8S, een indrukwekkend staaltje autotechniek van 655 pk dat een koolstofchassis van 1.180 kg een topsnelheid van 390 km/u laat bereiken. Twee jaar later lanceerde hij de CCR, een aanpassing van de eerste wagen, waardoor hij een belangrijke speler werd in de sector van de supersportwagens. ‘Wij geloven in evolutie, niet in revolutie’, vertelt hij. Deze bolide haalde het Guinness World Record als de snelste wegauto ter wereld.

Er volgden nog andere modellen. Zo zijn er de CCX en de CCGT, die aan het racereglement voldoet. Zijn meest opwindende vernieuwing werd dit jaar ontsluierd: de allereerste envirosupersportwagen, de CCXR op biobrandstof. ‘Nu mensen steeds meer op hun CO2-uitstoten gaan letten, grepen we onze kans én onze verantwoordelijkheid om iets speciaals te doen.’

Ferrari verkoopt meer dan 5.000 voertuigen per jaar. Maar in de loop van de komende vier jaren zal Koenigsegg slechts 400 CCX’s op de markt brengen, met elk een prijskaartje van 450.000 tot 600.000 euro. ‘Bij ons zullen er nooit duizenden auto’s per jaar van de band rollen. Maar we kunnen tijd, emoties en hulpmiddelen investeren om het soort perfectie te creëren dat je slechts van kleine, toegewijde en gepassioneerde bedrijven kunt verwachten.’

www.koenigsegg.com

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