Sporting chance

摘要

Surviving in small-volume sportscar manufacturing is not easy. Pictures of successful cars such as the Pagani Zonda, Koenigsegg CCR and Spyker C8 may decorate thousands of teenagers' bedroom walls, but the cars themselves sell only in very low volumes. For those firms that try to put Porsche or Ferrari performance into a more affordable package or that produce trackday cars that can also drive on the road, the challenge is tougher. High development costs stop many from reaching the market. With sales last year of E?D566.1 million and experience in motorcycle manufacturing, KTM has more cash behind it than most newcomers to the sportscar business. The attention it has attracted since displaying the E?D52,000 two-seater X-Bow has been enormous. If KTM is successful, it is likely to be because of the simplicity of its approach. Its aim is to bring aspects of the motorcycle industry to the car world, particularly the more direct way that sales and service departments work with customers. "Automotive people can learn a lot from motorcycle firms," says Werner Wilhelm, who joined KTM in February to head its automotive division.