How An Industrial Design Firm Shaped KTM's Motorcycles

How An Industrial Design Firm Shaped KTM's Motorcycles

June 5, 2026 ยท 58 min

About this episode

The episode explores KTM's evolution and its partnership with the industrial design firm Kiska.

From irrelevance in the mid-'90s to Europe's best-selling brand to near collapse--KTM surfed high on the waves yet nearly succumbed to the troughs. But there's far more to the story than COVID-era overproduction and camshafts with substandard metallurgy. Industry watcher Michael Uhlarik takes us through KTM's backstory with a special emphasis on its unusually intimate relationship with Kiska, the industrial design firm who shaped the motorcycles, the messaging, and the meaning of the brand. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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