KTM is a renowned European motorcycle
brand, short for ‘Kronreif Trunkenpolz Mattighofen’. It is widely considered
the leading sports bike manufacturer in Europe. It earned this title in 2012
after posting tremendous annual sales figures. The brand’s origins can be
traced back to 1934 when Hans Trunkenpolz founded a repair workshop in Mattighofen,
Upper Austria. Three years later, he started selling DKW motorcycles and subsequently
expanded his workshop. It later became one of the largest car and motorcycle
garages in Upper Austria.
In 1951, the company started
designing a KTM two-wheeler of its own. Two years later, the KTM R100
production series, the first motorcycle from KTM, was launched. The company,
which was then officially called KTM, immediately took up racing and tasted
success in its nascent stage.
Out of all KTM bikes, the company
entered the US market with a 125cc motocross motorcycle in 1968. The highlights
of the 1970s included the powerful 50cc models and the first Motocross World
Championship title. Russian rider Gennadij Moiseev won this title for KTM in
1974 in the 250cc class. In 1984, KTM started to develop a liquid-cooled
four-stroke motorcycle, commencing mass production of the first LC4 engine in
1987. It was a concept that became a typical KTM success story over the
decades. Owing to a global meltdown of the motorcycle industry in the 1980s,
KTM Motorfahrzeugbau AG filed for bankruptcy in 1991.
KTM Bikes India's innings commenced
in 2007 when Bajaj Auto Limited (BAL) of India started its gradual acquisition
of KTM. Initially, it acquired a 14.5% stake in KTM Power Sports AG in November
2007. A year later, it increased its stake to 25%, and eventually, Bajaj
managed to acquire 49% of the KTM brand. The other 51% is owned by CROSS
Industries AG, affiliated with KTM’s current CEO, Stefan Pierer.
In
January 2008, Bajaj announced that it would jointly develop two new 125cc and
200cc bikes. These were to be developed for Europe and other international
markets under the KTM brand. A jointly developed 125cc version of the Duke was
launched in the European market in 2011. After that, KTM’s first motorcycle in
India, the Duke 200, jointly developed with Bajaj Auto Limited was launched in
2012. Bajaj continues to sell the KTM bikes, assembled locally at their Chakan
plant, through its Probiking showrooms. These showrooms have now been converted
to exclusive KTM outlets. The range of KTM bikes, ever sold in India, consists
of the 200 Duke, the 250 Duke, the 390 Duke, the RC200, and the RC390, among
others.