KTM has announced it will build a new plant to produce its X-Bow sports car. Best known for making motorcycles, KTM said the expansion is due to the large volume of orders it has received for the X-Bow. The X-Bow is the company’s first sports car.
KTM originally intended to build 500 X-Bows annually but has already received orders for over 1,000 examples. Deliveries are scheduled to begin in early 2008 with a price of about $55,000.
Power for the X-Bow comes from an Audi -sourced 2.0L TFSI engine rated at 220 horsepower. Thanks to excessive carbon fiber use, the X-Bow can accelerate from 0-60 in under 4 seconds and has a top speed of over 180 mph.
Between the X-Bow and the Ariel Atom, it appears as though more companies are attempting to offer supercar performance at a more main-stream price. While the new entrants don’t offer the luxury or prestige of more expensive sports car, they do rival their performance numbers. Although it remains to be seen if the new breed of ultra-light and affordable sports cars can sustain their popularity, the news of KTM ’s expansion seems to be good news for the segment.
