Koenigsegg Quant news - Quant-ified - 2009

With the Porsche Panamera on its way, and the possibility of Aston’s Rapide and the Lambo Estoque making an appearance before the end of the year, 2009 looks like it could be the year of the four-seater supercar.

And here’s Koenigsegg’s take on the hyper-transport: the all-electric Quant, revealed at the Geneva show this week. It’s a bit of a departure from Koenigsegg’s traditional two-seater formula, this – a gull-winged ultra-luxury cruiser created in conjunction with solar panel specialists NVL Solar AG.

Which doesn’t mean it’ll be slow, exactly. The Quant (which we can’t help thinking sounds like a Chaucerian expletive) is powered by a battery pack driving a pair of AC induction electric motors rated at a combined output of 512bhp. That’s good for a range of just over 300 miles, a top speed of 171mph and a 0-62mph time of 5.2 seconds.

If that acceleration figure sounds a bit modest, that’s because the Koenigsegg’s kerb weight stands at a fairly hefty 1780kg. Still, you’d expect it to be a touch quicker, wouldn’t you?

The Quant’s shell is covered in a skin of ultra-thin photovoltaic cells, which extend the range further. Even without the additional solar energy, Koenigsegg says that the Quant can be fully recharged in just 20 minutes. Presumably only if it’s connected directly to a nuclear reactor?

Unfortunately for all you oligarchs looking for something to ferry the kids round in until your Rapide turns up, the Quant is merely a design study at the moment. Which means it won’t be built for a very long time, if at all.
 
Sad news, or would you rather hold out for the Estoque?