KTM Aims Its X-Bow at Lotus
The X-Bow roadster turned plenty of heads earlier in the year at the Geneva Motor Show. The car seemed a natural Lotus fighter in the lightweight sporting category. Now KTM, the Austrian motorcycle specialist that built it, has linked up with Austrian company Magna-Steyr to manufacture the car.
KTM originally hoped to produce a maximum of 100 cars a year with Italian racing firm Dallara. That was before the X-Bow's popularity was accounted for: KTM now has more than 600 orders in hand. Although Dallara had a very big hand in the development of the X-Bow, that kind of volume was out of its depth.
Therefore, KTM has called on Magna-Steyr, a subsidiary of Canadian car parts giant Magna, to handle the production process. Magna-Steyr is a contract manufacturer, assembling the Chrysler 300C, Chrysler Voyager, Jeep Grand Cherokee, BMW X3, and other vehicles for the European market. This new deal will see the Graz-based company eventually churn out 1,000 X-Bows a year.
The X-Bow is powered by an Audi-sourced 1.8-liter engine, tuned to some 220 horsepower, enabling the lightweight (1,500-pound) two-seater to accelerate from zero to 60 mph in less than 4.0 seconds. A 300-hp version is in the works. Estimated price will be under $60,000
