Volkswagen will be teaming with Austria’s KTM to make the company’s first ever motorcycle, a new report finds. You may know KTM best for its raceday-ready X-Bow, which was actually its first attempt at a four-wheeled car. KTM has been producing motorcycles since 1953.
While a VW-badged motorcycle might seem a little out there, it does have plenty of foundation in reality. Volkswagen engineers helped KTM develop the X-Bow, and the little racer is even powered by a 2.0L Audi powerplant. Since KTM has plenty of motorcycle knowhow and owes the German automaker one, the partnership makes sense for the project.
It’s also not unheard of for an automaker to also produce bikes, as companies like BMW, Honda and Suzuki make both vehicles of the two and four-wheeled variety.
Add in that VW has already shown interest in motorcycle-derived vehicles — like the 2006 three-wheeled GX-3 concept (pictured) — and the picture becomes clearer.
It remains unclear when the new bike will hit the road, but it should sport styling that is unmistakably VW.
The foray into the motorcycle world would also seem to put the GX-3 back in the picture, says AutoExpress. If VW ultimately decides to give the vehicle the green light, it could start a whole new segment of fuel-sipping performance vehicles — giving enthusiasts hope in a CAFE dominated future. The feather-light concept was powered by a 185 horsepower 1.6L unit, and promised the maneuverability of a motorcycle.
05/15, 7:37 AM
posted by:
JohnnyBlazE
Why not…
BTW Suzuki I prefer their bikes to their cars and would rather they were known for them… had a sweet lil GSX R 750 out with us last night on a run and man was it nice… owner had balls the size of watermelons to do what he did though; we were in 300bhp+ Impreza STis and such.
05/15, 9:09 AM
posted by:
CleanGTO
Yeah why not. I’m predicting there will be a subculture around VW motorcycles. I’ll be anxious to see the styling and what actually sets it apart.
05/15, 9:15 AM
posted by:
xyunya
It does make a perfect sense. Audi makes cars much better then VW and in US they come with same internals. Perhaps VW will drop out of car business altogether and will build motorcycles, bicycles and other divisions will build cars that slightly reliable. The wrinkle on this theory that Audi plans to build vehicles in Mexico, so maybe that brand will have to build motorcycles as well.
05/15, 10:23 AM
posted by:
Jon Luc
That’s not a motorcycle. That’s a car.
05/15, 11:24 AM
posted by:
SigmaHyperion
That picture is actually of a Motorcycle, Jon.
That was the main problem that VW had with the GX-3. They were seriously considering producing it, but it turns out that, at least in the US, it would have to be classified as a Motorcycle. And VW had no means of realistically marketing and selling a “motorcycle”. It’s just a lot harder thing to do — primarily because you can’t even really show the thing to anyone that doesn’t have a motorcycle license, which GREATLY diminishes the market you can sell to. VW just couldn’t justify producing it in the quantities it needed to with the limited market it would have here.
This deal with KTM can be construed as a strong indication that VW has decided to go ahead with the plans to produce the GX-3, but just to outsource production. Marketing will still be a problem, but if they can hit a good price point there’s a market for a vehicle like that.
05/15, 1:26 PM
posted by:
SeaLion
In Europe you have to have a car licence to drive a 3-wheel (or 4-wheel) motorcycle. But the GX-3 have to slightly redesigned to be legal in Europe, a central light in the front is not allowed at 3-wheel motorcycles.
05/16, 12:13 AM
posted by:
zoomzoomr
Hey VW.. how about building some economy cars for the US market that have something more economical and efficient than 5-cylinders or turbo fours.. and pricing them comparably to their competition.. then you wouldn’t have to worry about expanding into motorcycles to build profits.
05/16, 7:44 AM
posted by:
A4
No, sigmahyperion, VW canned the GX3 because of liability issues that could take place, not because of marketing issues.