KTM may introduce new green vehicle in Geneva
by Jeremy Korzeniewski on Feb 20th 2009 at 2:05PM 
Click above for a gallery of the KTM X-Bow
KTM made major headlines when it first announced it was entering the four-wheeled market back in 2007 with the X-Bow roadster. Since then, the Austrian manufacturer, more commonly associated with race-ready two-wheeled machinery, has announced its intentions to further probe the alternative transportation category with a range of three- and four-wheeled vehicles. Next month at the Geneva Motor Show, KTM is expected to debut two completely new vehicles alongside two new versions of the X-Bow. We know that the newly-formed automaker has plans to enter the electric vehicle world, likely with both a motorcycle and an automobile of sorts.
So far, KTM has managed to keep its specific plans for Geneva mostly under wraps, but we've heard talk of a possible city car that could have been developed along with India's Bajaj and an eco-friendly electric off-road vehicle. One of the two new X-Bow models may come with a closed roof, leaving room for an even more powerful racing edition of the little sportscar.
Gallery: KTM X-BOW roadster
[Source: Inside Line]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Posterboy 2:20AM (2/21/2009)
This car seems to be missing a few key components, like say a full windshield, roof, doors/door handles, etc. (Or are you supposed to "Dukes of Hazzard" it to get in?) Does someone really believe that there is a large market for a "car" like this? Why is it that a Chinese company that almost no one has ever heard of (BYD) is already selling a plug-in hybrid of a normalish car (in China) with a reasonable price, and yet all the major automakers are just starting to pull thumbs out of rears on producing plug-ins or all-electrics? Can we just have a regular plug-in hybrid or all-electric vehicle with a reasonable range in the US that doesn't look like it belongs on a race-track or 3-wheeled freakshow and/or cost $100,000 and require a deposit years before you might acutally be able to buy it, and or be limited to 25 mph?
Step 1: Pick a regular vehicle that your company already produces. No R&D needed
Step 2: Remove from plans the engine and all the parts necessary for internal
combustion
Step 3: Replace IC engine in original plans with an electric motor and some
batteries. Spend the same amount of $ on this step as you would have
otherwise spent to put in the internal combustion engine.
Step 4: Sell for same price as previous vehicle
Step 5: Miller Time!
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onhansehelppoa 5:21AM (5/12/2009)
yep, it is all very easy... could it be that major car manufacturers are more susceptible to big damage to their business with products that are brought to the market prematurely? I mean, if a chinese company previously unheard of brings out a plug-in hybrid that turns out to be a complete crap, not a big deal; it was clearly going to be a failure in the first place! if vw does the same, they're gonna hurt their image and possibly the sales of their other models as well. so they need to take more time to make sure everything is top notch. a curse of being big and respected i guess.
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