Koenigsegg is Developing a 400-HP Four-Cylinder Engine

Koenigsegg may be known for exotics that push well over 1,000 horsepower, but now the company is looking to develop high-performance four-cylinder engines.

Last month the Swedish automaker’s sister company, FreeValve, announced a partnership with China-based Qoros Auto and debuted the Qoros “Qamfree” engine at the Beijing Motor Show. The prototype engine had its camshaft and associated hardware replaced by FreeValve’s PHEA technology that allows Qoros to deliver a powertrain in future vehicles that is smaller, lighter and more powerful while having greater fuel efficiency and reduced emissions.

Essentially, the PHEA technology allows the engine management system to have full control over each individual valve, allowing independent control over every valve’s precise opening and closing position as well as timing throughout the combustion cycle.

At the time, FreeValve and Koenigsegg didn’t share specifications on the engine’s potential performance, but in an interview with Carbuzz, CEO Christian von Koenigsegg spilled some details.

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According to Koenigsegg, the engine is a 1.6-liter mill and the goal is to have the potential to produce 400 horsepower or more. Yes, a 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine that rivals V8 powerplants. “The same principles with which we designed the Agera and Regera engines can be applied to these smaller engines,” Koenigsegg said.

For now, the engine serves as a proof of concept and there’s no immediate plans to use it in a production vehicle. But it shows the possibilities of modern engineering.

[Source: Carbuzz]

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