KTM opens $80 million dream factory in California

KTM has opened the doors of a brand-new facility in North America, with the eye-catching project costing nearly $80 million AUD.

The new North America headquarters in California will house eight of the brands owned by parent company Pierer Mobility AG. As well as KTM, these brands include Husqvarna, GasGas, MV Agusta, Husqvarna E-Bicycles, GasGas Bicycles, Felt Bicycles and suspension brand WP.

While the global headquarters of Pierer Mobility AG will remain in Austria, the new facility in Murrieta gives the motorcycle superpower a stronger presence in the North American market.

The facility is spread across three state-of-the-art buildings which house KTM North America’s technical development, administrative offices, media relations, dealer training, warehousing, and the world-conquering racing departments.

Also nearby is the company’s purpose-built motorsports facility, RD Field, which has two supercross test tracks, a hard enduro test track, and a trials competition section.

According to Stefan Pierer, CEO of Pierer Mobility AG, the North American headquarters is the “biggest single investment” that the company has ever made.

“This is an emotional day for me,” said Pierer at the grand opening of the facility. “Exactly 30 years ago I started in the USA with only a dozen employees. Today we are Europe’s leading powered two-wheeler group and we’re selling approximately 100,000 units annually in the US market.”

The project cost Pierer $53 million USD, with the facility sitting on 20 acres of land. The current buildings occupy over 130,000 square feet of land, with a further 12 acres set aside for future development. The development first broke ground in November 2021.

While KTM Australia hasn’t yet received the same level of investment (naturally due to the much smaller population), it became a fully-owned subsidiary in 2019, allowing for a more hands-on approach from Pierer Mobility AG in Austria.