Koenigsegg announces new local outlet

KOENIGSEGG Automotive AB has a new Australian home – Melbourne-based Sullivan Kerr is taking on the brand under the auspices of official distributor, Prodigy Automotive.

Formed by Andrew Kerr and brothers Simon and Daniel Sullivan in 2016, the Sullivan Kerr facility – a WW2-era former ammunition factory in the bayside suburb of Sandringham – is a sprawling 750 square-metre site that is home to a range of exclusively-sourced vehicles, a specialist-vehicle detailing operation, and, of course, the Koenigsegg range.

Locally, Prodigy Automotive and Koenigsegg were previously partnered with Lorbek Luxury Cars (LLC). Based in Port Melbourne, the organisation handled compliance and homologation of the ultra-exclusive brand (including the outgoing Agera and first Australian-delivered Jesko) before the partnership was dissolved last year.

Sullivan Kerr director Andrew Kerr told GoAuto that the response from Koenigsegg customers across Australia and New Zealand showed promise, and that the company looked forward to growing its customer relationships as new models were introduced.

“We are really enjoying the process of where this new move is taking us, and it was very important to us to take on a brand with a whole new generation of cars coming through,” he said.

“Koenigsegg is gearing up to do even more special things in future and, with our collective background at Sullivan Kerr, we feel that we are in a very good position to bring that future to our customers.

“We are very customer-focused, and that’s what Koenigsegg is all about: one-on-one relationship building is incredibly important, and I think that’s evident in the response we’ve received so far. We have three cars on order already, which is a really good start,” Mr Kerr told GoAuto.

The business is already talking of expansion, with a service department and interstate showroom planned within the next 12 months. Mr Kerr said that in addition to the dealership and showroom in Sandringham, a nearby service facility and Sydney outlet were also in their planning stages (in order to meet growing customer demand).

“We’re trying to find a site because we need to set up a servicing facility. So, we’ll be doing all the official Koenigsegg servicing from Melbourne and, at this stage, are in discussions with the factory for a Sydney showroom to go ahead. That expansion is ready to take place,” said Mr Kerr.

“Ten or so years ago, a lot of people had three or four cars in their collection. Nowadays it’s not unusual for people to have 12, 15, 20 or even 40 cars, and when you start getting up toward those kinds of numbers, we find it’s not unusual for owner to sell five or six cars in their collection to get into something like this – something that is very bespoke and very special, and build it from the ground up.

“For that kind of buyer, a Koenigsegg is a really good option. It is a truly bespoke vehicle. Every part of the car is made using in-house technology. It’s all state-of-the-art, and the brand itself punches well above its weight in terms of engines, transmissions, wheels, you name it. It’s a car for ‘real car people’, and it’s an amazing brand,” he enthused.

For Sullivan Kerr, representing Koenigsegg is the realisation of a dream. Mr Kerr said the opportunity was one he and his partners could not pass up, and that a “very unique set of circumstances” had allowed that dream to become a reality.

“We were approached by Prodigy Automotive around 10 to 15 months ago, and we’ve been gearing up to coordinate the announcement with the launch of these new cars. It was something we’d been looking to add to our group, something that is quite bespoke, and something that aligned with the business we are already running,” he said.

“As an absolute top-tier brand, the appeal was certainly there. Of course, we had to study the business plan and make sure it was viable, but we see a big future for Koenigsegg in Australia and New Zealand, and for the hyper- and mega-car space more broadly.

“We’re really pleased to be able to share all of this with our customers, too. We have 95 customers from all around Australia here to celebrate this event, and to get a look at the cars. Because of COVID-19, we haven’t really been in a position to get people in from interstate, who have been very hesitant to travel.

“But we now have a lot of people here who are very interested in these cars. In a way, there has been a very unique set of circumstances, which has have obviously played out very well for us, and we’re very excited to be able to showcase and release these cars,” Mr Kerr told GoAuto.

Located at 223-225 Bay Road, Sandringham, Sullivan Kerr’s spacious and modern showroom is the only venue in Australia to showcase the Koenigsegg range, which includes one of the most expensive series hypercars available in Australia, the (about $A5 million) Koenigsegg Jesko Absolut.

The model, named after company founder Jesko von Koenigsegg, is one of the quickest accelerating and fastest cars in the world. It is powered by the same twin-turbocharged 5.1-litre V8 found in its Agera RS predecessor, but features an upgraded flat-plane crankshaft, revised intake plumbing and larger turbochargers.

Koenigsegg’s Jesko Absolut develops 955kW on pump gas or an insane 1195kW on E85 biofuel. Peak torque of 1500Nm is available at 5100rpm with two-thirds of that figure available from just 2700rpm.

The Angelholm-based manufacturer says the Jesko can dispatch the 0-100km/h sprint in 2.4 seconds, 0-100mph in 3.6 seconds, 0-200km/h in 4.6 seconds and 0-300km/h in 8.8 seconds. Top speed is listed at 483km/h (73km/h more than a Bugatti Veyron).

Feeding power to the road is an in-house-developed nine-speed multi-clutch automatic transmission, which can switch between any gear instead of just the adjacent ratio, and is up to 50kg lighter than a traditional dual-clutch unit.

Drivers can manually select gears via steering-wheel-mounted paddles or the central shifter – the latter has a double-notch feature whereby the first level selects up/down and the second shifts the Jesko into the optimal gear (“Ultimate Power on Demand”).

However, keys to the Jesko Absolut’s prodigious performance is its low weight – it tips the scales at 1390kg (kerb) – and comprehensive aerodynamic bodywork (even the wing mirrors are said to add 20kg of downforce). According to Koenigsegg, the Jesko can produce 800kg of downforce at 250km/h, rising to 1000kg at 275km/h.

Stopping the Jenko Absolut are platter-sized ceramic discs measuring 410mm up front and 395mm at the back and gripped by six- and four-piston calipers respectively.

The limelight was shared by the Koenigsegg Gemera, the Swedish marque’s four-seat (2+2) plug-in hybrid grand tourer and a model with its own impressive set of talents...

One of just 300 examples produced, the Gemera is powered by an extraordinary camless engine displacing 1988cc and weighing just 70kg. Dubbed the Tiny Friendly Giant (or TFG), the 440kW/600Nm three-cylinder dry-sump unit features a pair of turbochargers and is mated to a series of three electric motors.

On the rear axle, there are two electric motors developing 372kW and 1000Nm each while the third unit, set on the crankshaft, adds 298kW/500Nm and drives the front wheels. The Gemera has a total system output of 820kW electric power, or 1268kW and 3500Nm when operating in conjunction with the TFG (again, on E85 biofuel).

The system is fed by a 15kWh battery pack that provides up to 50km all-electric driving range or, in tandem with the petrol engine, a touring range of 1000km. The model is claimed to have a top speed of 400km/h and accelerate from standstill to 100km/h in a physics-defying 1.9 seconds. An all-electric v-max of 300km/h is also stated.

As the brand’s first all-wheel drive model, the Gemera features all-wheel steering with torque vectoring and an electrically adjustable ride height. The carbon-fibre and aluminium model weighs 1988kg (kerb).

Like the Jesko Absolut, the Gemera is halted by 410/395mm carbon ceramic rotors with six/four piston clamps (front/rear).

Access to the Gemera’s cabin is via a set of forward-opening dihedral doors. Once inside, mod cons including a range of driver-assistance and safety systems, rear-view screens, front and rear infotainment systems and even heated and cooled cupholders.

The Gemera also features standard features such as Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, wireless device charging, Wi-Fi connectivity, tri-zone climate control and a high-end audio system with 11 speakers.

Oh, and in case you were wondering, the Koenigsegg Gemera is priced from “around $A2.4 million”.