KTM X-Bow

2008

The KTM X-Bow (pronounced crossbow) is an ultra-light sports car manufactured by Austrian automotive manufacturer KTM, a company known for their production of motorcycles. The X-Bow was the first mass-produced car in their product range and was unveiled and launched at the Geneva Motor Show in 2008. The X-Bow road car was developed in collaboration with KISKA GmbH, Audi, and Dallara.

KTM developed its X-Bow road cars in collaboration with design studio KISKA GmbH, Audi, and Dallara. It uses a carbon fiber monocoque.

The X-Bow uses a 2.0-litre transversely-mounted turbocharged inline-4 engine from Audi that produced 237 hp (177 kW; 240 PS) at 5,500 rpm and 230 lb⋅ft (310 N⋅m) of torque between 2,000 and 5,500 rpm. In the X-Bow R model for 2011 and for other models onwards, the Audi inline-4 is further tuned to produce 300 hp (224 kW; 304 PS) and 400 N⋅m (295 lbf⋅ft) of torque at 3,300 rpm. Two transmission options were available for the X-Bow; a 6-speed manual or a 6-speed Holinger twin-clutch DSG sequential manual. The front tyres are 205/45 ZR17 and the rear tyres are 235/40 ZR18. The X-Bow features Brembo brakes with 305 mm (12.0 in) diameter discs at the front and 262 mm (10.3 in) diameter discs at the rear. The X-Bow was capable of accelerating from 0-62 mph (100 km/h) in 3.9 seconds. Its top speed is 217 km/h (134.9 mph). For the GTX, GT2 Concept, and GT-XR models, the X-Bow uses a 2.5-litre Audi TFSI 20-valve I5 engine sourced from the Audi RS3.

Originally, KTM planned a production of 500 units per year; however, the company increased production to 1,000 cars a year and built a new plant near Graz due to high demand.