Ryan Nitzen | November 18, 2021
Yesterday KTM and the KTM Group announced plans for a new North American Headquarters in Murrieta, California. The new campus, which is only a few blocks from the current building, will house the KTM, Husqvarna, and GasGas brands.
How many championships can you count between these guys? Photos: Ryan Nitzen
Guests were greeted by a squadron of factory semis, a fleet of race bikes, and nearly all of the KTM, Husky, GasGas factory racers across all disciplines. Many of the Austrian KTM brass were also in attendance including Stefan Pierer, CEO of Pierer Mobility (the company that owns the KTM Group), Hubert Trunkenpolz (that’s the T in KTM), and Gerald Kiska. To show just how significant the event was, this was the first time in history that the KTM Group’s board of directors had all been in America at the same time. Big stuff.
The KTM Group Board of Directors breaking ground on the new site.
“It’s a very exciting and emotional day for me,” said Pierer. “Exactly 30 years ago, I started on a very small scale in the U.S. with a total of 12 people and now we are by far the biggest European motorcycle producer and we are employing 5,000 people. Racing is basically the driving force that we created throughout the 30 years and it brings us to this – the biggest single investment I ever did – with a $50 million dollar project here in the U.S. Now, let’s look ahead and let’s set up new targets for the future.”
Stefan Pierer, CEO of Pierer Mobility, addressing the crowd.
“This celebration marks another incredible milestone in our history with this new campus, which is an incredible tool for us to deliver our service to our dealers as they truly are the lifeblood of our company,” said John Hinz, CEO of KTM North America. “To commit to an investment like this requires bravery, and I want to thank Mr. Pierer and the Board of Directors for their continued commitment to the business here in the U.S. and in North America. Our goal is to grow the sport of motorcycling and the sport of bicycling, and these new buildings are going to be an incredible asset to continue delivering that service to our dealers across America.”
John Hinz, CEO of KTM North America, was all smiles.
John Hinz, joined the Austrian board of directors along with local officials from Riverside County in a celebratory bricklaying and ground breaking ceremony. To finish it off in classic motorcycle fashion, Cooper Webb and Marvin Musquin roasted the tires off a pair of KTM Dukes. The bricks and burnout blocks will eventually become part of the building’s walkway once completed.
A celebratory burnout from Cooper and Marv.
KTM made their official move to California in 2008 amidst a global financial crisis. Now, 13 years later, they are on a quest to build a new state of the art facility as effects of the 2020 pandemic still linger. As many manufacturers make their way out of California (both Honda and Yamaha have moved a significant number of staff members to Georgia) it is interesting to see KTM stay planted in California. The campus is set to be completed by January 2023.
The current KTM headquarters.
Concept art for the new North American campus.
KTM gave their guests the full factory treatment.
