XS marks the spot: here’s Koenigsegg’s first U.S.-spec car

By Stephen Edelstein Published December 2, 2017

Koenigsegg is slowly expanding its presence in the U.S., and will take a big step toward that goal at Monterey Car Week.

The Swedish automaker will display its first fully U.S. homologated and road-legal car at McCall’s Motorsports Revival and The Quail, A Motorsport Gathering during the weeklong automotive extravaganza. That car is an Agera RS, renamed “Agera XS” at the request of its owner. It will be displayed alongside Koenigsegg’s Regera hybrid supercar.

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Koenigsegg has imported a handful of cars over the past couple of years. But none of these cars meet federal emissions and crash safety standards. They were imported under the “Show and Display” waiver that allows cars to be brought into the country individually provided they are not driven often. Koenigsegg previous avoided federalizing its cars because of the cost and complexity of that process.

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The U.S. wasn’t previously considered a large enough market to make homologating cars worthwhile, but Koenigsegg has decided to make U.S. sales more of a priority. It began the build of the U.S.-spec Agera XS back in November. Wearing chassis number 128, it was customized for its owner with Karosserie Orange paint, a black and orange interior, and the largest rear spoiler ever fitted to a production Koenigsegg.

Chassis 128 is one of 25 Agera RS supercars Koenigsegg plans to build. The RS borrows hardware from the Koenigsegg One:1, but features more creature comforts than that extreme hypercar. Power comes courtesy of a 5.0-liter V8 that produces 1,160 horsepower. That power is sent to the rear wheels through a seven-speed sequential gearbox. There isn’t much weight to move, either, as the RS weighs just 3,075 pounds, including all fluids.

The Koenigsegg Regera that will also be displayed in Monterey boasts a 5.0-liter twin-turbocharged V8, three electric motors, and a complex drive system that does away with a conventional transmission. Koenigsegg pegs combined output at more than 1,500 hp. The Regera will get a slightly higher-volume run than the Agera RS, with 80 cars planned.

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Stephen Edelstein

Contributing Editor

Stephen is a freelance automotive journalist covering all things cars. He likes anything with four wheels, from classic cars…

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The UK’s Wayve brings its AI automated driving software to U.S. shores

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It might seem that the autonomous driving trend is moving at full speed and on its own accord, especially if you live in California.Wayve, a UK startup that has received over $1 billion in funding, is now joining the crowded party by launching on-road testing of its AI learning system on the streets of San Francisco and the Bay Area.The announcement comes just weeks after Tesla unveiled its Robotaxi at the Warner Bros Studios in Burbank, California. It was also in San Francisco that an accident last year forced General Motors’ robotaxi service Cruise to stop its operations. And it’s mostly in California that Waymo, the only functioning robotaxi service in the U.S., first deployed its fleet of self-driving cars. As part of its move, Wayve opened a new office in Silicon Valley to support its U.S. expansion and AI development. Similarly to Tesla’s Full-Self Driving (FSD) software, the company says it’s using AI to provide automakers with a full range of driver assistance and automation features.“We are now testing our AI software in real-world environments across two continents,” said Alex Kendall, Wayve co-founder and CEO.The company has already conducted tests on UK roads since 2018. It received a huge boost earlier this year when it raised over $1 billion in a move led by Softbank and joined by Microsoft and Nvidia. In August, Uber also said it would invest to help the development of Wayve’s technology.Just like Tesla’s FSD, Wayve’s software provides an advanced driver assistance system that still requires driver supervision.Before driverless vehicles can legally hit the road, they must first pass strict safety tests.So far, Waymo’s technology, which relies on pre-mapped roads, sensors, cameras, radar, and lidar (a laser-light radar), is the only of its kind to have received the nod from U.S. regulators.

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Costco, known for its discount gas stations, has left EV drivers in need of juicing up out in the cold for the past 12 years. But that seems about to change now that the big-box retailer is putting its brand name on a DC fast-charging station in Ridgefield, Washington.
After being one of the early pioneers of EV charging in the 1990s, Costco abandoned the offering in 2012 in the U.S.
While opening just one station may seem like a timid move, the speed at which the station was installed -- just seven weeks -- could indicate big plans going forward.
Besides lightening-speed installation, Electric Era, the Seattle-based company making and installing the charging station, promises to offer “hyper-reliable, battery-backed fast charging technology in grid-constrained locations.”
Its stalls can deliver up to 200 kilowatts and come with built-in battery storage, allowing for lower electricity rates and the ability to remain operational even when power grids go down.
If that sounds like it could very well rival Tesla’s SuperCharger network, it’s no coincidence: Quincy Lee, its CEO, is a former SpaceX engineer.
Costco also seems confident enough in the company to have put its brand name on the EV-charging station. Last year, the wholesaler did open a pilot station in Denver, this time partnering with Electrify America, the largest charging network in the U.S. However, Costco did not put its brand name on it.
In an interview with Green Car Reports, Electric Era said it was still in talks with Costco about the opening of new locations. Last year, Costco said it was planning to install fast chargers at 20 locations, without providing further details. It has maintained EV-charging operations in Canada, the UK, Spain, and South Korea.
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Tesla Model 3 Highland Front

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Don’t get me wrong. I’m glad that the Model 3 is available at a lower price in Mexico (it cuts the price of the current base Model 3 by around $4,000). But I really hope the vehicle makes it to the U.S.
What's different?
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