“The only brand that we would be again, it would be Ducati”. CEO and shareholder at 62% of the group’s austrian motorcycle company KTM, Stefan Pierer has the appetite. This declaration found to be very incisive, made last month during an interview with a German magazine, proves it. In his eyes, an Audi, a subsidiary of the Volkswagen group, which owns Ducati, faced with the problems of the dieselgate and very involved in the electric car, has little energy to devote to the development of a brand of bikes. Especially the beautiful financial health of KTM permitted to dream to participate further in the consolidation of the sector.
indeed, the discrete number a european motorcycle european fate of a record-breaking year. The austrian group has seen its net income grow 28%, to 108 million euro, in 2018. The operating profit jumped by 21% to 161 million, and its revenue rose by 2% to 1.56 billion, according to provisional figures, disclosed on Tuesday by the AFP.
very ambitious Goals
The sales announced by the company from Mattighofen are past 238.000 units in 2017 to 261.000 copies thanks to its KTM brand (212.899) and Husqvarna (48.555). The goals are very ambitious: the group has indicated a wish to sell 400.000 copies in 2022, an increase of 50% compared to 2018, thanks to the help of its indian partner Bajaj and development hoped for in China.
For this, the austrian group has conducted in the past year to 184 million of investments, particularly in research and development, and he has been interested in electric motorcycles, one of the pillars of its strategy. The success of KTM have led to significant hiring. The company now employs 4300 employees, including more than 3,600 in Austria. In 1992, the firm numbered 150 people to assemble 6000 bikes. Managing to take control of Ducati, KTM would probably be on the right track.
