Koenigsegg Isn’t Making Its 3-Cylinder Gemera Anymore, Because Everyone Wanted a V-8

The people, or at least Koenigsegg customers, have spoken and they’ve made it clear that: more is better.

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Founder Christian von Koenigsegg recently told the Top Gear Magazine podcast that his company will no longer build a three-cylinder version of the Gemera , and will instead only equip the hypercar with a V-8. Thankfully, it sounds like the company hasn’t given up on its insanely powerful three-pot just yet, though.

Automotive observers know to expect the unexpected from Koenigsegg, but few could have seen the Gemera’s powertrain details coming. When the Swedish marque unveiled the “Mega-GT” back in 2020 it said it would be powered by a twin-turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-three called the “Tiny Friendly Giant” and three electric motors. The brand promised that the unique setup would combine to produce 1,677 hp and 2,581 lb-ft of torque. With all that grunt at its disposal, it said the car would be able to rocket from zero to 62 mph in 1.9 seconds and hit a top speed of 249 mph.

That much power would be enough for most companies, but not Koenigsegg. Last year, the automaker announced that the Gemera would also be available with a twin-turbocharged 5.0-liter V-8 paired with the company’s “Dark Matter” radial-flux electric motor. This version would make 2,300 horses and 2,038 ft lbs of torque when running on E85 fuel.

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It’s admirable that Koenigsegg wanted to offer an even more potent Gemera, but the decision may have ended up killing off any chance the three-cylinder version had. During his appearance on the Top Gear Magazine podcast, von Koenigsegg revealed that no one wanted an inline-three once the V-8 was an option. The executive even ended up convincing the few hold-outs to opt for the more powerful version.

“In a nutshell, they all turn into V8s,” the executive told show host Jack Rix [ via CarScoops ]. “There were so few left that asked for the three-cylinder, we managed to convince almost all of them [to switch].”

Thankfully, Koenigsegg still wants to try to do something with the Tiny Friendly Giant. The company continues to work on the mill and hopes to include it in a future car. There’s even a possibility that it ends up in a future version of the Gemera. In the meantime, the V-8 version of the hypercar will go into production later this year, with deliveries expected to begin in 2025.

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