Following success announcement: Two-shift operation at KTM before the end of the year?

KTM’s majority shareholder, Bajaj Mobility, last week announced very encouraging sales figures for the second quarter and the first half of 2026. As previously reported, 147,000 motorcycles from the KTM, GASGAS and Husqvarna brands were sold worldwide in the first half of 2026, generating turnover of around 700 million euros. This represents an increase of 80 per cent compared with the previous year.

Now there is further good news from Upper Austria, this time concerning production, which is currently still running on a single-shift basis. “We are running out of motorbikes, particularly on the American market – so we need to increase production volumes again,” explained KTM works council chairman Friedrich Baumgartner in an Austrian daily newspaper. According to employee representative Baumgartner, the consequence is: “As things stand, the second shift is set to be reinstated between September and October.”

In addition, the process of staff reductions is now virtually complete. Sources in Mattighofen indicate that staffing levels at KTM are set to be increased again in certain areas in the foreseeable future. Currently, the plants in Mattighofen and Munderfing are operating on a single-shift basis across four production lines. Production on two of these lines is then set to be expanded to two shifts in the autumn. However, an official statement from the group is still pending.

Another key factor is ensuring that customers and dealers are supplied with the latest spare parts. For this reason, production at a parts plant in Upper Austria has already been expanded back to two shifts. According to Baumgartner, the mood among the workforce has fundamentally changed. “The fear of a major wave of redundancies has gone,” said the works council chairman. The increase in production volumes and the fact that the afternoon shift is to be reintroduced are signs that things are looking up. As planned, KTM motorcycle production will be suspended for the first three weeks of August: the company’s annual holiday period.

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