Stefan Pierer, CEO of Pierer Mobility AG, has revealed some plans for the future of KTM bikes. Amongst the other news revealed, future KTM twin-cylinder bikes could be soon made in India. Pierer Mobility AG is the parent company of the KTM Group which includes brands like KTM, GASGAS, Husqvarna, Felt and R Raymon to name a few.
High sales of KTM, GASGAS and Husqvarna bikes in 2022
Pierer was talking to the media regarding the performance of the company in 2022. The sales are continued to be led by KTM, Husqvarna and GASGAS bikes. The trio sold over 3,75,452 units combined across the world. This figure is a 13 percent jump over the previous year. Amongst it, the KTM units stood at 2,68,575 while the brand sold 75,266 Husqvarnas followed by 31,651 GASGAS models.
This could have been further higher had there not been any vendor supply issues. Thanks to the uncertainty of the semiconductor industry, the company had a 30 percent reduction in supplies from vendor Bosch, which makes core parts for the bikes.
Production of two-cylinder bikes in India
The middleweight bikes from the KTM, Husqvarna and GASGAS brands are currently manufactured in China. However, the premium bikes would continue to be made in Austria. This leaves 650-690cc bikes to be made in India, which is currently the hottest growing segment.
Recently, Pierer visited India and has confirmed that twin-cylinder bikes could be made here as well. However, while there is an operational readiness, we are not sure what the numbers would look like. On one hand it will improve KTMs manufacturing resilience, while Chinese manufacturing cost could even be cheaper than what be the cost in India.
Turnaround of the KTM brand
The 2022 EBIT gross profit stood at Euro 235 million. A high 22 percent increase from the earlier year. This also marks the 30th anniversary of the takeover of the bankrupt KTM brand by Pierer back in 1992. The first year, the company made 6,300 bikes. This is in stark contrast to the position the company enjoys in the European market today. The brands held by Pierer Mobility are not just market leaders but also spawn across segments.
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