KTM & Kiska: Is KTM Breaking Away from Controversial Design?

The KTM Group and design agency Kiska are going their separate ways. After decades of economic dependence and collaboration, many motorcycle enthusiasts are asking: Is KTM also breaking away from the highly polarizing Kiska design?

What was produced in the Innviertel was visually designed over the years in Anif, near Salzburg. Kiska has shaped the appearance of KTM — from motorcycles to apparel and even the X-Bow — for decades.

This was not a typical agency relationship. The KTM Group was both a stakeholder and the main client of Kiska. At its peak, Pierer Mobility AG held 50% of the shares, later reduced to 20%, now recorded as Bajaj Mobility AG.

The ownership relationship has now been completely dissolved. "Following the repurchase of the last remaining shares from the KTM Group by the shareholders, the company from Anif is once again operating fully independently," says Kiska CEO Julian Herget.

As announced in early February, KTM plans to establish its own in-house design team in Salzburg.

KTM confirmed that as part of its focus on the core motorcycle market, it is bringing the design process closer to the company. A new design center is intended to consolidate innovation expertise and work on product innovations, separate from the development center in Mattighofen.

According to Kiska's CEO, the collaboration with Kiska will continue: "There is a multi-year agreement that ensures KTM access to resources and secures our revenue," emphasizes Herget.

Loxone GmbH is taking over the shares from the KTM Group. Loxone will now hold 71 percent of Kiska, while 29 percent will remain with the management and executive team.

The technology company from Kollerschlag rescued Kiska following the KTM insolvency with a capital injection of five million euros. According to the financial statement for the 2024/2025 fiscal year (as of March), this allowed the agency to overcome the economic repercussions.

According to Herget, the close dependency on KTM proved to be problematic: "The significant reliance on KTM was unhealthy for Kiska."

As a result of the KTM insolvency, 42 employees had to be laid off. Currently, the agency employs 160 people. Some of the laid-off colleagues have since returned.

The 2024/2025 fiscal year ended in March 2025 with a deficit of 4.6 million euros. Revenue amounted to 26 million euros. Approximately 3.5 million euros in receivables—about 70 percent—had to be written off due to the KTM insolvency.

Kiska aims to broaden its scope in the future. The focus will remain on two and four-wheel markets, with an eye towards Asia and the USA.

According to reports, the new clients include:

• AIMA Technology Group (China) in the e-bike and electric scooter sector
• Three new players in the motorcycle and premium e-scooter segment in India and China
• A leading powersport provider in the USA
• A well-known client in the agricultural sector in the USA

Additionally, Kiska is responsible for the relaunch of the traditional brand Weck and the development of the new brand Vitrea (a rehabilitation corporation). They are also active in brand and design development for majority shareholder Loxone.

"We will never make ourselves dependent on a single client again," says Herget.

For 2026/2027, Kiska plans to achieve growth between 15 and 20 percent. Additionally, ten new employees are to be hired—a commitment to the Anif location.

For many years, the distinctive, edgy KTM design was closely associated with the name Kiska. Few brands in the motorcycle segment have relied so consistently on a recognizable design language.

At the same time, the design was frequently the subject of controversy in the market. While many fans saw the aggressive lines as an expression of the READY-TO-RACE DNA, others perceived the styling as deliberately provocative.

In the near future, we will likely continue to see a lot of Kiska's influence in KTM's design, as recent spy shots suggest. However, with the establishment of its own design center, KTM will increasingly manage the design process internally. In the medium term, a new design language could also emerge for the core brand. Whether the well-known design line will continue at Husqvarna and GasGas also remains uncertain.

One thing is certain: the structural separation has been completed—however, the collaboration as a client is set to continue (for now).