KTM confirms electric dirtbike plans amidst company slowdown

With the global economy pretty much in shambles at the moment, it's not surprising to hear that sales of off-road motorcycles are down and that the slowdown has hit KTM just as hard as any of its peers. So far this year, revenue from the sales of KTM's off-road products reportedly came in at $134.6 million (€102.7 million), which is down by a third over the same period a year ago. What does that mean for KTM's future plans to launch an electric dirtbike?

Fortunately, Dealernews reports that development of the alternative machine is still underway and the bike is on track for production in 2011 – one year later than we had previously heard. KTM is also working on a few interesting ventures with Indian motorcycle maker Bajaj, which could result in alternative-powered vehicles for off-road and urban use. Another intriguing concept that we'd love to see developed is a hybrid two-wheel drive motorcycle like the one KTM recently filed patents for.

[Source: Dealernews]