Unveiled 3 years ago, Koenigsegg Gemera is one of the most interesting supercars from engineering perspective in my opinion. Mid-engined 4-seaters have always been very difficult to build. They need to make space for a large cabin yet packing an engine, transmission and differential right behind, which means the powertrain must be very compact. For a supercar that demands huge power and 4-wheel traction, this is almost impossible. The original Gemera made the impossible possible by some clever innovations, most notably a very compact engine called "Tiny Friendly Giant" (TFG). It is a 2.0-liter 3-cylinder engine that sits easily between the rear wheels (presumably in transverse mounting). Thanks to "Freevalve" hydraulic fully variable valve actuation that ditches conventional camshafts and a twin-turbo arrangement that allows sequential spool up, it can produce an incredible 600 hp and 442 lbft of torque from the same displacement as your ordinary hot hatch. Power goes to all 4 wheels via Koenigsegg Regera's drive-drive transmission (actually a hydraulic coupling without gearchange), clutch packs and differentials.

Besides, the original Gemera employs 3 electric motors, 2 driving the rear axle and one driving the crankshaft. They offer 1100 hp, hence the system output is 1700 hp, accompanied with a claimed 2581 lbft of torque. A 16.6 kWh battery mounted under the cabin provides power to the electric motors.

However, 3 years on and Koenigsegg has yet to put the Gemera into production. Now we know why: Christian von Koenigsegg has changed his mind. While TFG is fantastic, a 3-cylinder engine sounds a bit shameful for a supercar. Meanwhile, the introduction of the lightweight LST gearbox and high power density Dark Matter electric motor recently allow Koenigsegg to squeeze enough space to put its beloved 5.0-liter twin-turbo V8 into the back of Gemera. And the result will be even more amazing...



So now the production Gemera is finally unveiled. It is offered with 2 power options, the first one keeps using the TFG 3-pot engine, while the second option, rumored to add $400K but is expected to be far more popular to customers, is the V8. No matter which one, the electric power source is the same. Instead of the prototype's 3-motor setup, it uses a single disc-shape motor called Dark Matter, which can be seen in the picture above, mounted at the front end of the carbon-fiber torque tube and just behind the front differential. The Dark Matter is a 6-phase motor that combines the characteristics of axial flux and radial flux motors. It produces an astonishing 800 horsepower and 922 lbft of toruqe, and of course, the car can be driven with electric power alone, although range will be quite limited. Obviously, the Dark Matter is linked to the LST gearbox at the other end of the torque tube, so the electric power is also available in all-wheel drive.

When combined with the TFG engine, total output is simply the summation of both power sources, i.e. 1400 hp and 1365 lbft. Yes, it is 300 hp shy of the original prototype, but anything possessing over 1000 horsepower cannot be described as tamed, can they? Moreover, this is now only the entry-level Gemera.

Regarding the V8 model, it is not just made by replacing the TFG with Koenigsegg's usual V8. In fact, it takes a lot of re-engineering to make it possible. No matter how compact a V8 is, it is still an extreme challenge to put it into the compact engine bay that is sandwiched between the 4-seat cabin and luggage compartment. 4WD makes it even more difficult, because drive from the engine needs to be sent both forward and backward (or sideway).



As seen from the picture above, Koenigsegg cleverly places the LST gearbox fore of the V8, putting it into the transmission tunnel. This not only lets the drive to be sent forward directly but also improves front to rear weight distribution, just like Lamborghini Countach. Problem is, how to route the drive from gearbox back to the rear axle? In Lamborghini, the drive shaft has to go through the sump of the engine to reach the rear differential which is located right behind the engine. On the Gemera, due to the length of the cabin, the V8 has to be mounted slightly rearward, occupying the space for rear axle. This means the Lamborghini arrangement is not possible. Instead, Koenigsegg put the rear differential fore of the engine and just behind the gearbox. Then the output of the differential splits into 2 paths, each goes sideway, via chain drive and connect to each half shaft. In this way, the rear axle is actually disconnected in the middle, needs not to go through the engine. From the picture it seems the chain drive units are made with a rigid casting and bathed in oil. They are probably bolted to the engine crankcase to form a rigid unit.

Because the sides of V8 is now occupied by the chain drive units and half shafts, there is no space left for exhaust and turbochargers. Therefore, the V8 is converted to "hot-Vee" architecture, putting its two turbos inside the V-valley. The exhaust goes upward and exits at the fastback, which fits the original design of Gemera.

The Gemera's V8 produces 1500 horsepower on E85 fuel, down 100 hp from the engine of Jesko due to probably the hot-Vee modifitions. However, when combined with the Dark Matter electric motor, total output is an incredible 2300 hp and 2028 lbft of torque, crazy. That is not only by far the most powerful Koenigsegg but also beats electric hypercars like Rimac Nevera and Lotus Evija.

It is not lightweight though. Koenigsegg claims a power-to-weight ratio of 1.11 hp per kg, which translates to 2072 kg. That said, it is still slightly lighter than Rimac. For a 4-seater with 4-wheel-drive, 4-wheel steering and hybrid power, the Gemera is simply amazing in any respect.

This is the first electric car built by Hyundai's N performance division. Based on the dual-motor Ioniq 5, it gets very extensive enhancement - the chassis is reinforced with extra spot welds and adhesives, widened by 50mm and lowered by 20mm. The front and rear subframes are new. The steering ratio is tightened. Suspension is beefed up. 275/35ZR21 Pirelli P-Zero tyres are fitted, accompanied with larger brakes (400mm front and 360mm rear), extra spoilers and skirts...

As for powertrain, the battery is enlarged from 77 to 84kWh and accompanied with upgraded inverter to enable higher power output. Both motors are new, spin faster (up to 21,000 rpm) and generate more power. Total output is lifted to 609 hp and 546 lbft, while overboost can take it further to 650 hp and 568 lbft for up to 10 seconds, which is significantly more than Kia EV6 GT (585 hp and 546 lbft). This allows the car to sprint from rest to 60 mph in 3.3 seconds and tops 161 mph. An electronic LSD is fitted to the rear motor, which is about 70 percent more powerful than the front motor to deliver a rear-biased handling balance.

To make the EV's driving experience comparable to ICE performance cars, Hyundai adds an N e-shift mode that shapes its torque delivery to simulate the operation of a dual-clutch gearbox, even though that is counterproductive to acceleration. Meanwhile, N Active Sound mode plays Hyundai's 2-liter turbo engine noise through speakers. How real they feel remain to be seen, but at least it proves that the N division does care about emotion, unlike Tesla.

When Emira made its debut exactly 2 years ago, it was said that a version powered by AMG's 2.0-liter 4-cylinder motor will join the range soon. After some unexpected delay it finally arrives showroom. The entry-level Emira starts at £81,500, merely £4500 cheaper than the existing V6 but far more expensive than the comparable Porsche Cayman S and Alpine 110S. Its engine is rated at only 360 hp and 317 lbft of torque, considerably less than AMG's own A45 S (421 hp and 369 lbft), which is a condition Lotus has to accept. Paired with AMG's 8-speed DCT, the Emira 2.0 sprints from rest to 60 mph in 4.2 seconds and has a top speed of 180 mph. It weighs 1446 kg, almost the same as the V6 variant, even though it has ditched the LSD for a brake-based "e-Diff function". Unless you prefer DCT to manual gearbox, the 4-pot Emira seems to be less attractive than the V6, let alone a Cayman GTS 4.0.

Another day, another Aston Martin "one-off". Valour is derived from V12 Vantage - the latter also a limited edition. It employs the short-wheelbase chassis of the V12 Vantage but has its twin-turbo V12 tuned to deliver another 15 horsepower for a total of 715 hp, accompanied with unchanged peak torque of 555 lbft. The biggest difference, however, is the use of 6-speed manual gearbox instead of ZF automatic transmission, making it the only car in Aston Martin's current lineup that you can make gearshift yourself. That could be its biggest attraction.

The Valour employs the same mechanical LSD as V12 Vantage, but its suspension is retuned and its rear tires get 10 mm wider. Its bespoke body is fashioned in carbon-fiber, and the exterior design is certainly more classical, so to please the 110 buyers that have paid its £1 million-plus price.

Sales of coupes and convertibles have been contracting for a long time, so much so that Mercedes decided to merge its C-class Coupe and E-class Coupe (and their convertible versions) into a single model, CLE-class. Compared with the last C-class Coupe, it is significantly longer at 4850mm and wider at 1860mm, while its 2865mm wheelbase is 25mm up. Rear passengers are benefited with 56mm legroom (although 43mm less than E-class Coupe), more shoulder and elbow room as well. The boot is 60 liters larger at 420.



Compared with the current C-class sedan, the CLE is almost 100mm longer, but all that extra length comes from the overhangs, because they share identical wheelbase. Moreover, it shares the same dashboard with the C-class - this means no "Superscreen" option, unlike the E-class. The engine range and suspension (no air springs) are also the same as the C-class, therefore, the CLE is obviously the coupe version of C-class, despite the letter "E" in its name.



4 engines are available from launch:

CLE220d: 2.0 turbo diesel, 200hp, 324 lbft, 0-60 mph in 7.1 sec, 148 mph.
CLE200: 2.0 turbo, Miller cycle, 204hp, 221 lbft, 7.0 sec, 149 mph.
CLE300 4matic: 2.0 turbo, Camtronic (2-stage variable valve lift), 258 hp, 295 lbft, 5.9 sec, 155 mph.
CLE450 4matic: 3.0 straight-6, twin-scroll turbo, 381hp, 369 lbft, 4.2 sec, 155 mph.

Adaptive dampers and 4WS are optional.