Table of contents
KTM
motorcycles
Interview with Stefan Pierer
Interview with Stefan Pierer
KTM presents a car next year
In an interview with MOTORRAD employee Alan Cathcart, KTM boss and co-owner Stefan Pierer outlines the future model policy and explains why he wants to break away from the American snowmobile and ATV manufacturer Polaris.
Ralf Schneider, Alan Cathcart
07/11/2006
KTM and Polaris ?? engaged, disengaged
Mr. Pierer, why did KTM put in bed with Polaris and now hops out again?
In the one year of our collaboration, we noticed how big the cultural differences really are between us? and between our products. Imagine what Americans are like. They expect others to adopt their philosophy and the way they do things. We were in danger of losing what KTM built and what the brand stands for, especially since KTM is only about a third of Polaris. I watched this development with growing concern until I expressed our fears openly in July of this year. Despite the planned separation, we want to stay friends and work together on some projects.
Polaris still holds 24.9 percent of the KTM shares?
Yes, but we can buy them back next year, that will be the case in the first half of 2007. My partner Rudi Knuenz and I will have to dig deep into our pockets for this, but we can do that. Then we will hold almost 80 percent of the KTM shares.
Does that have an impact on the financing of product development, which has been greatly expanded?
No. We put a separate development budget aside and so far it looks good in terms of development and investment.
What growth would you like to achieve in 2007?
Just under ten percent. We are planning with over 90,000 motorcycles sold and a turnover of 560 million euros.
Can KTM continue to grow, although the company still operates in the specialized off-road segment, which is coming under increasing pressure, especially in the USA?
We are working hard on various concepts for street-legal motorcycles in order to acquire new customers in addition to our regular customers. The long-term goal is to greatly expand the model range of street motorcycles, initially with the RC8. I consider such a superbike to be the most important
Growth from street bikes
model?
We need it to gain credibility and respect from the other manufacturers. And as a two-cylinder it has to be a 1200 today. The RC8 will be launched in 2008, and the pre-production bike will be presented in about a year.
What other motorcycles with the 1200 twin-cylinder are you planning??
It makes sense to replace the 990 with the 1200. In the medium term we will build a 1200 adventure after the RC8, and we are also thinking about a bare sports machine that will be similar to the Venom study that we presented a few years ago, but not exactly the same.
As a 1000, the Venom would be a bit too close to the Super Duke.
We’ll definitely keep the concept of the Super Duke ?? this is very important. We want to stay as close as possible to the current styling, just with the bigger engine.
How about a 1200cc sports tourer?
I don’t think a sports tourer is 100 percent what KTM stands for. Our customers expect something sporty, which is why I am more interested in a power cruiser. We are already working on the engine and initial styling approaches for a 1600 model series based on the 75-degree eight-valve concept, on which the 950, 990 and 1200 are based. We expect the first results by the end of the year, and then we’ll see which bikes are possible with this approach. The power cruiser would of course be a KTM type, not a Harley or a Victory.
Does the 1600 replace the V6 you were working on recently? This project died?
True, we thought about a V6, but then we realized that the 1600 V twin would produce better results.
Why don’t you use the discarded MotoGP V4? they
have done a lot of work to develop it.
A slim silhouette, as you need it for such a project, is easier to achieve with a V2. The MotoGP engine was a phase in our journey to becoming a serious street motorcycle maker. Although this investment did not result in a production product, the work has made our engineers smarter and we have received confirmation that the V4 is not the right concept for a signature KTM street motorcycle. So it stays in the freezer.
The new 690-
Modernized single cylinder. How do you intend to use this to expand the offer?
The 690 is very promising with 65 hp in Euro 3 homologation. We could equip five different models with this engine. First the Supermoto, which has already been presented, then an Enduro, which we will present next year. We are also thinking about an adventure for long-distance travel with combined on- and off-road capabilities, a new single-cylinder Duke is already on the way. There is then still a motorcycle for North America under discussion that looks a bit like a dirt tracker for the road. And a few more concepts. The fifth model has not yet been decided, but the others are sure to be produced.
Would you also sell the engine to specialized chassis manufacturers like Tigcraft to build a single-cylinder road racer?
Quite possible. The Americans want something specially tailored to their market, the Europeans want a single-cylinder racer, possibly the continuation of the Cafe Racer. Also an idea to be taken seriously. We could end up building six 690 models to cater for every need.
ATV in the US
How close is KTM to entering the ATV market?
Very close. Our project team did a very good job on the first model, which we will bring next spring. We get in KTM-style, with a ready-to-race ATV, and concentrate on the American market. It has an order of magnitude of 50,000 to 60,000 sports models per year, in a total market of over 800,000 units. If we only win a ten percent market share, that would be 6,000 units. It won’t be difficult for us, all we have to do is beat Honda, Yamaha, Kawasaki and Suzuki (laughs). But seriously, that’s our daily job, just with more than two wheels. We’re starting with the 525 engine which we can use to compete in the Open Class races and hope to be immediately competitive with the help of this very powerful engine.
Euro 3 with
two bars
What do the two-stroke engines do? After Honda hired them
soon you will be the only manufacturer still making them. Or stop doing that too?
Of course not. We are very attached to the two-stroke engine and are convinced that sooner or later we will even achieve the Euro 3 standard with a two-stroke engine through injection. These bikes are highly valued by serious enduro riders, and many in the US are switching back from four to two-stroke engines because they are more manageable and require less maintenance. This also makes it an ideal entry-level device. Last year we built around 10,000 units. Because our customers are satisfied, we continue to do so. You can also see what our chief technician Harald Bartol is doing with his two-stroke engines at the Grand Prix races. We get a lot of suggestions from him, which we incorporate into the off-road bikes.
Road racing helps develop off-road motorcycles?
Our brand new 144 motocross machine in particular benefited from this. The AMA (American Motorcycle Association) has this initiative. It was calculated there that a two-stroke engine should have 144 cm3 in order to be competitive against the 250 four-stroke engine, and the regulations were also changed accordingly. We reacted immediately and developed a new engine that can be used in the different categories? Motocross and Enduro ?? will compete against the 250cc four-stroke.
The motorcycle was presented at our dealer presentation and received enthusiastically ?? because it’s the young people
holds in this sport. In my opinion, one of the biggest mistakes Honda made was to build all of its engines on the four-stroke principle, thereby closing an important market segment for itself.
In summary: where is the journey now that KTM is going back into private ownership? What is the five year plan for the company??
In addition to the further development of off-road motorcycles, we have to expand the road segment. This is a competitive market with well-established competition. Then we have to work on the ATVs in North America? with a strong focus on the racing scene ??, and in addition, KTM has a lot of potential in the European market with four-wheel models. That gave us the idea of a KTM Crossbow sports car. We think that European customers might be interested in a slightly different KTM product on four wheels.
Do you build a KTM car? Tell me more.
Basically, the KTM sports car is a highly technical, completely crazy development concept that is supported by the VW Group. We use an Audi engine and gearbox and a carbon chassis from Dallara. This is this Italian racing car manufacturer who does everything right up to Indycar Monoposti. Our designer Gerald Kiska styled the car, so it’s a real KTM, and of course it has to be orange and black. Two-liter turbo engine with 220 hp in the basic version and up to 320 in the S3 Supersport version. We want to achieve a dry weight of less than 700 kg; You can imagine what the acceleration will be like. It will be rear-wheel drive, with the engine behind the driver’s seat. What we want to create is a connection between motorcycles and cars that creates the same feeling of excitement and freedom that one has on two wheels ?? a four-wheeled motorcycle. It’s an open car, has no roof or glass, and you will need a helmet to drive it. If it rains, bad luck.
Sounds like the Y2K version of a Lotus Seven.
Good comparison. In March 2007 it will be presented at the Geneva Motor Show. We want to use the exception rules for small series to homologate it. It shouldn’t just be a racing car.
Are you planning a sale in the United States?
Not at the moment, but if it is well received in Europe and there is demand in the States, why not? Initially we will only produce 500 units per year ?? although it is not that little at all. Caterham builds 600 a year and Lotus 3000. Let’s put it this way, it’s pretty ambitious for this kind of ultra-sporty high-tech product with a carbon monocoque.
Are you going to sell it through Audi dealers? And what is the price of one?
Less than 40,000 euros. The warranty processing will certainly be taken over by the VW dealer network, because the engine is a real Audi unit and it could be a small, attractive addition to your business. There are VW sports car dealers who sell Lamborghinis; Leaning on them might make sense.
It all sounds like KTM is doing pretty well. Have fun running the company?
We had a lot to celebrate last weekend when we beat the Japanese on their home track. And also when our five-year campaign for Stefan Everts was finally successful. We are living a dream and there is a lot to look forward to.
Pierer, Stefan: Interview
Stefan Pierer already spoke of the 1200s-
Super Duke, the latest version of the 990 is only just being presented. In the photo you can see the R variant, which is characterized by a longer strut and a standard steering damper,
the single bench seat and a number of carbon parts differ from the standard model. Both
in common, along with others, are the
longer caster, the newly tuned engine and the tank that has been enlarged by four to 18.5 liters. The price is supposed to
compared to the predecessor only about 200 euros, it would be around 12,350 euros.
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