As the Coronavirus pandemic gradually disappears in the rear-view mirror, in its aftermath the global motorcycle industry continues to experience rapid and sustained growth. Leading this charge among European companies is the KTM Group, whose parent company PIERER Mobility AG finished 2022 on a continued high, after a 12th successive record year which saw sales of its three current brands (KTM, Husqvarna and GASGAS) continue spiralling upwards to 375,452 motorcycles in 2022, an increase of 13% compared with the previous year. 268,575 of these motorcycles carried the KTM badge, 75,266 were Husqvarnas and 31,651 were GASGAS. Add to that the 118,465 pedal cycles and E-bicycles sold in the same period under its Husqvarna, GASGAS, Felt and R Raymon labels (up 15% compared to 2021), and the company’s overall revenues increased to €2.437 billion, up 19% year-on-year.
This resulted in an EBIT (Earnings Before Interest and Taxes) gross profit of €235 million, a massive 22% increase over one year ago, meaning its President/CEO Stefan Pierer, 66, duly celebrated the 30th anniversary of his taking control of a bankrupt KTM and its 160 employees in January 1992 (making 6,300 motorcycles that first year), by consolidating his place as the most significant figure in the European motorcycle industry. PIERER Mobility is a global player in practically every different model sector, both on- and off-road, with combustion engines and, increasingly, electric power. The chance to speak with him at length in his office in KTM’s home factory, at Mattighofen in West Austria, uncovered the background behind this success, and his plans to build on it for the future.
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