Koenigsegg Automotive is a Swedish manufacturer of high-performance sports cars based in Angelholm.
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The company was founded in 1994 in Sweden by Christian von Koenigsegg, with the intention of producing a world-class supercar. Many years of development and prototyping led to the company's first street-legal production car delivery in 2002.
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Koenigsegg Automotive AB is a non-listed free traded Swedish Public Company. The Company has around 90 shareholders.
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As the company is free trading the number of shareholders can vary. Christian von Koenigsegg is the CEO and a major shareholder.
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In 2006, Koenigsegg began production of the CCX, which uses an engine created in-house especially for that vehicle. The CCX is street-legal in most countries.
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Apart from developing, manufacturing, and selling the Koenigsegg line of supercars, Koenigsegg is also involved in 'green technology' development programmes, beginning with the CCXR ('Flower Power') flexfuel supercar and continuing through the present with the Agera R.
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Koenigsegg is also active in development programmes when it comes to plug-in electric cars' systems and next-generation reciprocating engine technologies.
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In March 2009 the Koenigsegg CCXR was chosen by Forbes to be one of the 10 most beautiful cars in history.
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In December 2010 the Koenigsegg Agera won the prestigious BBC Top Gear Hypercar of the Year Award.
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The initial design of the Koenigsegg CC was drawn by Christian von Koenigsegg. He then took his sketches to Industrial Designer David Crafoord in order for him to realize the sketches into a 1:5 scale model.
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David then laid his personal touch to the design brief and finished the model. This model was later scaled up in order to create the base plug for the initial Koenigsegg prototype that was finished in 1996.
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During the next years the prototype went through extensive testing and several new prototypes were built.
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Von Koenigsegg got the idea to build his own car after watching the Norwegian stop-motion animated movie Pinchcliffe Grand Prix in his youth.
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However, he took his first steps in the world of business in his early 20s running a trading company called Alpraaz in Stockholm, Sweden.
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Alpraaz exported food from Europe to the developing world. The success of this venture gave von Koenigsegg the necessary financial standing to launch his chosen career as a car manufacturer.
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Initially, Koenigsegg Automotive was based in Olofstrom. In 1997, The company needed larger facilities and moved to Margretetorp, just outside of Angelholm.
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However, on February 22, 2003, one of the production facilities caught fire and was badly damaged. From 2003 and on Koenigsegg has converted two large fighter-jet hangars and an office building into a car factory.
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Since the factory is located on the still-active Angelholm airport, clients can arrive by private jet right next to the factory. Furthermore, Koenigsegg controls and uses the former military runway for shakedown runs of production cars and high speed testing.
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The Koenigsegg badge was designed in 1994 by Jacob Laftman, based on the shield of the Koenigsegg family.
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The shield has been the family's coat-of-arms since the 12th century when a family member was knighted by the German-based Holy Roman Empire.
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The phantom insignia on the Koenigsegg's rear window is a tribute to a squadron from the Swedish air force wing F 10 Angelholm, which had the ghost as its emblem.
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On June 11, 2009, the media reported that Koenigsegg Group, consisting of Koenigsegg Automotive, Christian von Koenigsegg, Bard Eker, and a group of investors had signed a letter of intent with Saab to take over the brand from General Motors.
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General Motors confirmed on June 16 that they had chosen Koenigsegg Group as the buyer of Saab Automobile. The deal, set to close September 30, 2009, included $600 million in financing from the European Investment Bank, guaranteed by the Swedish government.
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By comparison, in 2008 Koenigsegg with its staff of 45 produced 18 cars at an average price of $1 million each; Saab employed 3,400 workers and made more than 93,000 cars.
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General Motors announced on August 18 that the deal had been signed although certain financing details remained to be completed. On September 9, 2009, Koenigsegg announced that BAIC was going to join as a minority stakeholder in Koenigsegg.
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In November 2009, Koenigsegg decided not to finalise the purchase of Saab and therefore left the negotiations.
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The reason for the withdrawal was that the take over was planned to have been finalised early Autumn and at the end of November it was clear that the deal still had some time left before it could be concluded.
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The timing uncertainty of finalisation of the take over was the reason Koenigsegg stated for leaving the deal.
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A Koenigsegg CC prototype was first publicised in 1996, while the full carbon fibre production prototype was finally unveiled at the 2000 Paris Motor Show.
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The first customer took delivery of a red CC8S in 2002 at the Geneva Auto Show and four more cars were built that year. Koenigsegg was established in Asia later that year with a premiere at the Seoul Auto Show.
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