September 26, 2007 KTM has announced plans to build a new assembly plant for the production of its first car – the 700kg, 300 bhp carbon fibre X-Bow roadster. Back in April Gizmag reported on the company’s intention to out-source production of 1,000 units per year, but the hugely positive reaction to the X-Bow along with the successful introduction of its first generation of sports quads onto the US market has prompted the decision to create its own “four-wheel centre of excellence” assembly facility.
The new assembly plant, to be built near Graz, Austria, will target production of 1,000 X-Bow sports cars and 10,000 sports quads per year – a level of production beyond the capacity of the existing KTM quad building facilities at Mattighofen in Austria. Series production of the KTM X-Bow is still set to begin in the first half of 2008 and assembly of the new KTM Quads will begin at the new plant in the summer of 2008.
KTM has also signed with Audi for supply of engines for KTM X-Bow. The 2.0 TFSI supercharged four cylinder engines with direct fuel injection will be produced at the Audi factory in Györ. The engine was chosen to power the lightweight, open sports car by virtue of its compact dimensions, light weight, high efficiency and emissions control.
KTM has also confirmed the Wethje Group from southern Germany – known for the supply of carbon composite components in F1 - as producers of carbon fibre monocoque the X-Bow.