What's behind it all

Despite bankruptcy: How KTM now ensured a motorcycle boom

KTM (here an action picture from the ongoing Dakar Rally) has caused a real motorcycle boom in Austria in recent weeks - at least in terms of registration figures.

(Bild: GEPA/Red Bull Content Pool/Marcelo Maragni)

The aim is to save as many jobs as possible, pay off debts and create a basis for the future: Motorcycle manufacturer KTM, which has slipped into bankruptcy, is currently fighting on several fronts. Curious: In the final weeks of last year, the Mattighofen-based company caused a boom, causing registration figures to explode. Read here what's behind it all.

With debts amounting to almost two billion euros, KTM slipped into insolvency at the end of November. Reorganization proceedings with self-administration were opened for KTM AG, KTM Components GmbH and KTM Forschungs & Entwicklungs GmbH. The next hearing in the proceedings will take place on January 24 at the regional court in Ried im Innkreis: At the hearing, more precise facts about the amount of debt will be presented, and it must also be made clearer how the rescue can succeed and which investors should be brought on board.

130,000 motorcycles were in stock when insolvency proceedings were opened
The fact is that production in Mattighofen is at a standstill until further notice - it is currently unclear whether it will be restarted at the beginning of March. The extreme number of motorcycles in stock weighs heavily. When insolvency proceedings were opened, there were said to be almost 130,000 bikes for which buyers were being sought. Production then continued until December 13, before the Christmas break began a week earlier than usual.

Interesting: While the management around Stefan Pierer, Gottfried Neumeister and Neo-Pierer-Industrie board member Stephan Zöchling, together with the investment bank Citibank, are pulling out all the stops to restructure the company and set up financing for this, the group of companies created a real motorcycle boom at the end of last year.

In December, the number of motorcycle registrations in Austria exploded.

(Bild: Krone KREATIV/Stock Adobe)

4272 KTM motorcycles registered in December
In the middle of the crisis (and in winter), registration figures in Austria exploded in December. According to data from Statistics Austria, 2024 registrations for 4272 KTM motorcycles were registered in December, 2300 for Gas Gas brand bikes and 1227 for Husqvarna. Even the Italian luxury brand MV Agusta, in which KTM currently still holds a majority stake, saw the number of registrations rise to 25 in the last month of the year. It is interesting to note that the majority of the registrations were one-day registrations, which apparently became a means in times of need for the Innviertel-based company.

Because some of the motorcycles in stock do not meet the Euro 5+ emissions and noise standard that has been in force since January 1, 2025, there would have been an enormous loss in value if they had not been registered before the deadline, as the motorcycles have not been allowed to be registered for the first time in the European Union and in countries that implement the EU directives since the beginning of the year. However, the new standard no longer poses a hurdle with the short-term registration in 2024. "If the vehicle has already been registered once, it can be registered again after the deadline," explains Martin Grasslober, traffic management expert at the ÖAMTC.

Almost 11,000 more registered motorcycles than in 2023
A total of 46,508 motorcycles were registered in Austria last year - more than ever before in a single year. In 2023, there were 35,561, which was the previous annual record.