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I did not win the efficiency contest here in Immendingen, Germany, home of the sprawling Test Center of Mercedes-Benz even though I had a handicap: the supremely slippery Mercedes-Benz Vision EQXX, a drivable concept car that can travel more than 1,200 km (745 miles) on a single charge.The problem was not the car, it was me. I could not help busting out of the recommended conservative driving habits to gun it when the speed limits on the handling course allowed, which hurt my score, as did the need for manual braking when a speed limit was momentarily exceeded, prompting a warning. The benchmark was 7.9 miles per kWh; I recorded only 6.4 kWh of average consumption over the 10-mile course. On the plus side, after each burst of acceleration, I used the most aggressive of the four settings for regenerative braking and racked up more than three times the extra energy and range of the benchmark driver.Which is to say, the beauty of the EQXX is that it can be fun, with a mighty torque pull, as well as efficient—I still recorded a single-digit consumption figure—so best of both worlds.And that is good because this Vision concept is the future of Mercedes EVs. The learnings and stylings will show up in new vehicles coming in 2025 and beyond from the new Mercedes Modular Architecture or MMA. The EQXX is a street-legal prototype and the only one of its kind in the world. At 110.2 inches, it is a compact car, roughly the same wheelbase as the Mercedes-Benz EQB.Its impressive range, beating the Lucid Air Grand Touring's 516 miles and the Tesla Model S Long Range at 405 miles per EPA, is attributable to a number of factors. The EQXX has a 100-kWH battery pack, similar to the one in the Mercedes-Benz EQS large sedan, but in the EQXX concept the unit is half the size and weighs 30 percent less, the cells are packaged differently and it has a carbon fiber top cover. The anodes use more silicon and hold more energy. While the rest of the Mercedes EV lineup have a 400-volt system, and some competitors have 800V, the EQXX system is more than 900V. Stumbling onto the Teardrop ShapeThe design team came up with the car's teardrop shape with the rear track two inches narrower than the front, a tapered cabin, and a long tail with an active diffuser which extends almost 8 inches. "We didn't set out to create this shape, we found it," Malte Sievers, project manager for the Vision EQXX tells us.The result: a claimed drag coefficient of 0.17—more streamlined than a football—making the EQXX the most efficient model Mercedes, or perhaps anyone, has built. It could become a car for the ages as 0.17 will be hard to beat, physics is physics, says Sievers. And this slippery missile could never be built if it had to accommodate an internal combustion engine. "The whole thing falls apart," he says. "It shows the capability EVs brings to the industry."Engineers say 62 percent of the EQXX's efficiency is from aerodynamics; meaning every change to aero affects everything else by 62 percent. You can make changes to rolling resistance, for example, but your efforts will never impact more than 20 percent of the total efficiency. And everything else amounts to an 18 percent impact. The team looked at every part to see if it was necessary and if so, how to make it light, efficient, and not heat up. The cooling plate underneath allows the car to be cooled by airflow and the overall efficiency means there is little to cool.The summation of all the engineering efforts is a car where 95 percent of the energy sent from the battery makes its way to the wheels. For reference, the EQS sends 90 percent of its energy to the wheel well, which means the team had to make the EQXX twice as efficient.First Outsiders to Drive the Mercedes-Benz EQXXWe were part of a media program that let non-Mercedes people drive the Vision EQXX for the first time. To date, only Mercedes employees have put it through its paces. That includes two road trips, the first April 5 from Singelfingen, Germany, to Cassis in northern Italy, 1,008 km (626 miles) and using 8.7 kWh/100 km or 7.1 miles per kWh, with 140 km (87 miles) left at the finish. The second run, June 21-22, was from Stuttgart to Silverstone in France, a distance of 1,202 km (747 miles) in summer heat requiring the air conditioning to run for 11 hours. Average consumption was 8.3 kWh/100 km or 7.5 miles/kWh, and it included 11 laps on the track when the car reached Silverstone to empty the remaining energy.To work out the bugs, the team created a test mule by squeezing a 100-kW battery, DC/DC converter and DC charging controls, battery management system, other aspects of the EQXX powertrain, as well as testing equipment, into a Mercedes-Benz EQB. The mule is known as EMMA (the MMA for Mercedes Modular Architecture). EMMA made the Sindelfingen to Cassis trip first in a test run with its share of breakdowns, a learning curve that proved to be a total success as the EQXX did not have a single mishap in either of its long-distance tests.We drove EMMA, who was a little clunky as the suspension was not adapted for the weighty equipment added or the fact that most of it bears down on the rear axle, throwing off the balance.Then we hopped in the EQXX which was much quieter, balanced, nimble, and downright supple by comparison, riding on Ultralight 20-inch forged magnesium wheels with Bridgestone Turanza tires that are also lightweight and have ultra-low-rolling resistance. The car cornered nice and flat, the suspension was not challenged by the course, but neither did it stumble.Impressive Regenerative BrakingBoth cars have one-pedal driving with four degrees of regenerative braking—mild, two aggressive settings, and the option to have no reclamation at all, which works infinitely better on the EQXX. On one long straight in EMMA, we turned off regen and saw our speed drop about 9 mph within seconds. In the EQXX the speed never dropped at all.Manual braking was harsher in EMMA, it was less grabby in the EQXX, but engineers wince if a foot ever touched that pedal because it means energy is being lost. We used the most aggressive regen setting for most of the EQXX drive; it was highly effective without being too harsh.There is a satisfying weight to the EQXX's steering and the vehicle is not flighty at all. Input and response are nicely married. Acceleration on the 21-minute lap was not neck-snapping but the car picked up speed quicky and smoothly. It was easy to exceed the course's varying speed limits that were being closely monitored.The big takeaway is that it felt like a production model more so than a concept.Attempting the ImpossibleThe EQXX prototype was pulled together in 18 months, a project launched with a request in June 2020 from the board of management to build an electric vehicle capable of driving 1,000 km (621 miles) on a single charge. Almost all the teams involved worked to achieve the seemingly impossible target of 10 kWh/100 km, Sievers said. The car relied on expertise from Mercedes' Formula 1 and Formula E race engineering groups as well as the research department and production development team.There are 117 heavy solar panels on the roof that send energy into a 12V system that powers many of the car's ancillaries which equates to a roughly 25-km (15-mile) bump in range. Engineers say the energy gains from the panels are greater than the losses due to the extra weight.You cannot see out the glass of the back window; nor are there cameras for the rearview mirror—they would consume too much energy.It all adds up to a highly efficient EQXX that exceeded the mandate.Loving the Luxury InteriorThe beautiful navy and white interior of the EQXX is serene and modern without looking too sci-fi or clinically cold, with sustainable vegan materials that look high end. There are 47.5 inches of curved OLED screen, perfect for using the real-time 3D navigation display—but only when absolutely necessary. The mini LEDs that backlight and dim the screen make for crackling crisp graphics. Dimming zones save power by not illuminating the parts of the screen not in use; there is zero energy consumption when the LEDs shut themselves off.Mercedes provides eco guidance. The car knows the route conditions of the trip programmed into the nav system and tells the driver to speed up or slow down to be more efficient. The driver can look at data to show energy usage, solar energy produced, air pressure and wind direction, and forecast how much energy the trip will require. Almost ready for production is an Intelligent Avator to suggest movies to watch or restaurants to stop at, saving the driver from scrolling through menus on the screen and using energy.They are tools I clearly need. Said the engineer who tried to keep a straight face as he analyzed the data spikes in my EQXX run: "I think you had fun." Then he confirmed Mercedes would not be hiring me anytime soon for their EV testing.BASE PRICE Not for sale LAYOUT Front-engine, RWD, 2+2-pass, 4-door sedan ENGINE  MOTOR  DC DC induction, electric, 100-kWh battery TRANSMISSION  1-speed auto CURB WEIGHT 3,900 lb (mfr)  WHEELBASE 110.2 in L x W x H 195.9 x 73.6 x 53.1 in 0-60 MPH EPA CITY/HWY/COMB FUEL ECON 250 mpg-e (est) EPA RANGE, COMB 747 miles ON SALE never Show All

WHAT IT IS: The Buick Wildcat EV concept showcases the brand's new face, logo, and design language for a lineup of future electric vehicles. Each will be called Electra, followed by an alphanumeric designation. Although the Wildcat is a coupe, the upcoming Electra models will be all SUVs (at least initially), beginning with a compact offering in 2024. By 2030, Buick's entire lineup will be badged Electra. Two compact two-row models are planned. One is lower, sportier, more car-like, and geared toward couples; the other rides higher with more cargo room for families.WHY IT MATTERS: GM saved the Buick brand because of its popularity in China, but cool electric SUVs could make it hip in North America and restore some former glory. Besides, the more EVs that share GM's Ultium system of batteries and platforms, the greater the company's ability to reduce costs and keep them more affordable.PLATFORM AND POWERTRAIN: All these new electric vehicles use GM's BEV3 electric architecture and Ultium battery technology developed with partner LG Chem. The first Electra SUV's powertrain could mimic that of the 2023 Cadillac Lyriq, which launches with a single motor in the rear, good for 340 hp, 325 lb-ft of torque, and about 300 miles of range.An all-wheel-drive performance variant should follow in 2023. Buick has shown previous concepts with dual electric motors and a 12-module 100-kWh battery, providing 583 hp, a 0-60-mph time of 4.3 seconds, and about 370 miles of range. When the first production Electra SUV arrives in 2024, it will also feature one-pedal driving, on-demand regenerative braking, and GM's Ultra Cruise hands-free driver assist technology. A giant screen will stretch across most of the cockpit.ESTIMATED PRICE: $55,000EXPECTED ON-SALE DATE: 2024

How do you wrap your head around the Koenigsegg Jesko Absolut? Well, let's begin with some numbers. Like 1,600 and 1,106. These are the peak outputs, in good old American ponies and stump-pulling pound-feet of torque, respectively, generated by the car's 5.1-liter V-8. Then there's 3,130. That's about how many pounds the 2024 Koenigsegg Jesko Absolut weighs.Gulp!Now do the math. Yep. You don't need to be a computational fluid dynamics mastermind to figure out this Swedish-designed and -engineered hypercar is a seriously fast machine. How fast? Company founder Christian von Koenigsegg says his team hasn't completed physical testing, but computer modeling suggests the Jesko Absolut will have a top speed north of 310 mph.Conventional wisdom suggests it's impossible for a tiny automaker from a country best remembered for stolid Volvos and quirky Saabs, to design, engineer, and produce a fully street-legal car capable of beating the Bugatti Chiron at its own, highly specialized game.But Koenigsegg has a long history of defying conventional wisdom.In Case You Don't KnowChristian von Koenigsegg describes himself as an inventor/entrepreneur. He was, he says, the sort of kid who took apart the family VCR to see how it worked, which it sometimes did when he put it back together.He decided he wanted to build his own car when he was just 6 years old, after watching The Pinchcliffe Grand Prix, a stop-motion short film about an inventor who … builds his own car and beats the world's best with it.Von Koenigsegg founded his first company when he was just 19, selling plastic bags and frozen chicken to Estonia in the immediate aftermath of the Soviet Union's collapse. He founded Koenigsegg Automotive in 1994, when he was just 22.It took eight years, but the 2002 delivery of the Koenigsegg CC8S, a hand-built, carbon-fiber-bodied supercar powered by a 655-hp supercharged 4.7-liter engine based on Ford's modular V-8, to a Swiss customer (who still owns it) was the realization of 6-year-old von Koenigsegg's dream.The JeskoThe new Koenigsegg Jesko is the latest expression of that dream. And we were the first automotive media organization in the world to drive it.By Koenigsegg standards, the Jesko will be a volume car. Koenigsegg Automotive has built just 250 cars in total since 2002, but it plans to build 125 Jeskos during the next two to three years. All are sold, despite their almost $3 million price tag. The Jesko is fully homologated for sale in the U.S., and the first of about 40 cars heading our way is scheduled for production in the third quarter of 2023.Two versions will be offered, the Jesko Attack and the Jesko Absolut. The Attack is intended for better racetrack performance, with stiffer suspension and high-downforce aerodynamics including a large rear wing and the deepest and longest front splitter so far fitted to a Koenigsegg.With all the aero bits in their most aggressive settings, the Jesko Attack allegedly develops 1,760 pounds of total downforce at 155 mph, rising to a maximum of almost 3,100 pounds at speeds exceeding 170 mph.The 2024 Koenigsegg Jesko Absolut is all about raw speed. It eschews the Attack's giant V-shaped rear wing, as well as its front splitter and the ducting through the hood. Two large fins, designed to improve high-speed stability, sprout from the engine cover. A reprofiled, 3.4-inch-longer tail and flush coverings on the rear wheels help reduce drag to 0.28 Cd.Downforce is reduced to about 90 pounds at 155 mph, and to a maximum of 330 pounds, which means the Absolut can run softer suspension and a lower ride height than the Attack, improving everyday ride comfort and usability.Max PowerPowering both Jeskos is a 5.1-liter, twin-turbo V-8 designed and engineered in-house by Koenigsegg. An evolution of the engine originally developed for the Agera, it now features a flat-plane crankshaft milled from a solid steel billet. The crank weighs just 28 pounds and allows the V-8 to rev to 8,500 rpm.New lightweight conrods and pistons were developed to mitigate the increased vibration endemic to flat-plane-crank V-8s. The conrods, though made of steel, tip the scales at just 1.2 pounds each, including bolts, which means they weigh the same as a previous design made of titanium but are stronger. The ceramic-coated pistons weigh just 10.2 ounces each.The cylinder heads, which are cast by Formula 1 supplier Grainger & Worrall, have redesigned intake runners shaped to improve tumble and therefore combustion. The two large turbochargers feature a Koenigsegg-designed air-injection system that pumps short bursts of highly pressurized air into the turbos to get the impellers spinning and reduce lag (this extra air is also said to hasten catalyst lightoff during cold starts).A redesigned fuel injection system now has three injectors per cylinder, two traditional port injectors down by the intake valves and a third injector located in the plenum just above the intake trumpet for each cylinder. Koenigsegg says the extra injector helps deliver cooler and cleaner combustion, which is monitored by what the company claims is the world's first production-car individual in-cylinder pressure monitoring system.Put it all together, and the result is an engine that makes 1,600 hp at 7,500 rpm on E85 biofuel, and 1,280 hp on pump gas. Why the difference? E85's higher octane rating allows higher combustion pressures, says von Koenigsegg, who has long experimented with biofuels.Peak torque output is a hefty 1,106 lb-ft at 5,100 rpm, with no less than 738 lb-ft on tap from 2,700 to 6,170.Never mind that boggling headline E85 horsepower number—even on pump gas, the 5.1liter Koenigsegg twin-turbo V-8, which the company says weighs just 417 pounds, boasts a greater power density than the Bugatti Chiron Super Sport's giant 8.0-liter quad-turbo W-16.Trick TransmissionNo less extraordinary than the engine is the rest of the Jesko's drivetrain. All the power and torque is funneled to the rear wheels via Koenigsegg's ingenious, innovative nine-speed Light Speed Transmission (LST). The LST "makes dual-clutch transmissions look antiquated," von Koenigsegg says, and that's no idle boast.Conventional dual-clutch transmissions work by moving gearsets to preselect what their electronic brains predict will be the next required gear. They then simultaneously close the clutch on that gear while opening the clutch on the gear last used. In the LST, no gearsets move. Instead, all gears in the transmission are engaged constantly, and the combination of gears through which drive is sent to the output shaft is determined by opening and closing six individual clutches within the transmission.The compounding effect of the gearing produces nine forward speeds (reverse is controlled via a seventh clutch), and because the gearsets do not have to move into place, the transmission can switch directly from, say, eighth to fourth gear instantaneously simply by opening and closing the relevant clutches. In a conventional dual-clutch transmission, this would require four separate mechanical operations.Koenigsegg says the LST weighs only 198 pounds (roughly two-thirds the weight of a high-capacity dual-clutch gearbox) and is half the size of the seven-speed Cima automated manual used on the company's Agera. The LST transmission's other benefit is the fact no clutch or flywheel is required on the end of the crankshaft. And as we discovered, you can feel this the moment you touch the Jesko's gas pedal.Inside GameThe cockpit is roomy—the 2024 Koenigsegg Jesko's all-new tub means more legroom and headroom than in previous Koenigseggs—and the trademark wraparound windshield offers outstanding forward visibility. The lightweight quartic steering wheel, flattened at the top and bottom of the rim, is fully adjustable for reach and rake. The pedal box is also adjustable, as are the carbon-fiber-shell seats.Although the 9.0-inch touchscreen looks familiar (it's from the same supplier Volvo uses, though the interface and information displayed are all unique to Koenigsegg), there's no instrument panel in the conventional sense of the term. Instead, there's a 5.0-inch screen attached to the steering-wheel boss that shows all the usual drive-relevant data: revs, speed, gear, drive mode, etc.Turn the wheel, and although the screen moves with it, the graphics remain aligned to the car's vertical axis. And because the steering-wheel spokes never interfere with the view, the essential data remains always visible.Driven to ExtremesPress a button, and the Jesko's doors motor shut, twisting and turning on the company's unique dihedral synchro-helix door hinges. Thumb the start button, and the V-8 cracks into life and settles down to a brisk idle.This is the first complete pre-production Jesko Asbolut, visually and mechanically correct, save for some final tuning for the transmission mapping. It's been warmed up by the test driver. Rain threatens. Koenigsegg's runway test track beckons. We switch from Normal to Racetrack mode (this being a Swedish hypercar, there's also a Wet/Snow mode). Let's go.The Jesko pulls away cleanly, the turbochargers' air-injection system taking care of low-speed lag. Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! The traction through the lower gears is immense, helped by the Triplex rear suspension setup, which includes a damper between the top links of the rear control arms to better control squat.The Jesko tracks straight and true as we arrow down the runway. And that engine! It might displace 5.1 liters and have a couple of turbos, but it screams like a naturally aspirated 3.0-liter Ford Cosworth DFV F1 V-8 and feels razor-sharp in its response. From fifth gear through to ninth, the revs build so quickly, you have to click-click-click-click on the upshift paddle pretty much as quickly as you can to stop the engine hitting the rev limiter. There is no flywheel effect. None.The only other modern hypercar engine that feels anywhere near as vivid as this one does past 6,000 rpm is the naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V-12 in the Ferrari Daytona SP3. In fact, Koenigsegg's engine feels even more explosive than Ferrari's V-12, and not just because it makes significantly more power and torque. Rather, it all plays out in a more compressed rev range, the redline being 8,500 rpm whereas the Ferrari will spin to 9,500 rpm.And we're not even getting the full monty: Our Jesko's engine is running on 98 RON from the local gas station rather than E85, which means we're making do with a mere 1,280 hp.Although there is a stubby shifter on the center console, the paddles are really the only way you can keep up with the engine if you choose to shift manually on a full-commando acceleration run. Apart from some shift shock on the third-fourth change—more software work is underway to eliminate it—the shifts were smooth and super-quick.However, pushing through the detent on the center shifter activates the LST's party trick, UPOD (Ultimate Power On Demand) mode. This allows the transmission to skip ratios for ultimate response. Stabbing the gas in seventh gear in UPOD saw the transmission switch instantly to fourth gear and the Jesko lunge for the horizon.Handling ProwessPowertrain aside, the 2024 Koenigsegg Jesko's agility and stability are also mighty impressive. The car feels incredibly light on its feet, the low rotational mass of the hollow carbon-fiber steering wheel complementing the low inertia of a hypercar that weighs about as much as a Honda Civic.Response from the front axle is superb, as is the feedback through the steering. There's noticeable roll on the change of direction, but you can feel exactly what's going on where the front tires meet the tarmac. Active rear-wheel steering, which can turn the wheels up to 3 degrees in either direction, helps the rear end track faithfully. You can go to power surprisingly early without pushing the nose wide or making the rear end feel squirrely.The brakes, giant carbon-ceramic rotors measuring 16.1 inches up front and 15.6 at the rear and clamped by calipers of Koenigsegg's own design, feel utterly indestructible. Nail the brake pedal, and the Jesko simply stops, even from big triple-digit speeds. This is a hypercar you can drive with your fingertips and toes, the Jesko Absolut a deft and delicate device despite its size and its enormous power and speed.What's It Mean?Christian von Koenigsegg has been on a remarkable journey since founding his car company 28 years ago. Despite having no formal training as an automotive engineer or designer, he's become a genuine auteur automaker, more directly hands on in the creation of his cars than Enzo Ferrari or Ferruccio Lamborghini ever were, and more driven to explore left-field technical solutions compared to his modern-day hypercar-as-art contemporary, Horacio Pagani.Driving the 2024 Koenigsegg Jesko Absolut is like drawing back the curtain and getting a glimpse of what's going on inside inventor/entrepreneur Christian von Koenigsegg's head. And it's a truly extraordinary place.2024 Koenigsegg Jesko Absolut Specifications PRICE $2,840,000 LAYOUT Mid-engine, RWD, 2-pass, 2-door coupe ENGINE 5.1L/1,280-hp (1,600-hp on E85)/1,106-lb-ft twin-turbo port-injected DOHC 32-valve V-8 TRANSMISSION 9-speed seven-clutch auto CURB WEIGHT 3,100 lb (mfr) WHEELBASE 106.3 in L x W x H 190.7 x 79.9 x 47.6 in 0-60 MPH 2.5 sec (MT est) EPA CITY/HWY/COMB FUEL ECON Not yet rated EPA RANGE (COMB) 228 miles (est, gasoline) ON SALE Now Show All