KTM’s ‘MOTOHALL’ is the result of four years planning and almost 30 million euros of investment. Here’s the lowdown on the company’s impressive new showpiece set to open early May in Mattighofen.
There is an undeniable KTM presence in Mattighofen. The town is a short distance across the German-Austrian border, east of Munich, north of Salzburg. Signs, transport, and bikes pop up frequently in the small centre and close to the main factory. A spares centre and engine plant are also easily spotted before the main road to Munderfing shows off yet more new structures, the Racing HQ and KTM Components GmbH.
The taste of orange now became slightly stronger when the firm opened the doors of their ‘MOTOHALL’ to the public in May. Built a ten-minute walk from the principal assembly lines, the easy-to-find multi-purpose, multi-storey KTM ‘hotspot’ is more than a museum or a display zone: it is a modern and stylish beacon for the company’s roots, achievements, current activities and future. Kristina Kuttruf has been charged with overseeing the massive project – one of the most diverse and fascinating in KTM’s history – so we asked what it’s all about, what visitors they can expect and why it will be well-worth tapping ‘Mattighofen’ into the GPS app.
Welcome to our MOTOHALL
There are five sections to the exhibition, then a shop, an adjacent restaurant called ‘Garage’ and a small café bar inside the actual MOTOHALL. We also have the presentation hall and parking space for about 130 cars. We have three main floors that chart the KTM story. On the first floor we talk about the design, the clay modelling, the shapes, the engineering and evolution. We’ll speak about the engines and the engine families, frames, suspension, the subsidiaries and KTM worldwide. It is hard to offer people KTM factory tours because we don’t have the space for visitors to walk around so in the MOTOHALL instead we’ll have a map model to see how the factory has developed and grown over the years and since the 1950s. You can touch a ‘building’ and see how it is inside and how it is today. You walk to the third floor through a ‘ring’ layout that illustrates the KTM history with all the bikes. The MOTOHALL floors are inclined and it is quite a complex and interesting piece of architecture. After seeing the evolution of the bikes you can then pass other areas like customer racing that has models like the KTM X-BOW and South African Brad Binder’s world championship winning Moto3 bike and the actual current model range will be on display. Racing has pride of place and we have the third floor dedicated to our racing heroes. It was not easy but we chose 28 heroes from our champions and they are present with their ‘figure’ and original clothing and bikes. We have a 360-degree video installation where a film made exclusively for the MOTOHALL is shown every hour highlighting the racing and the racing spirit. Goosebumps guaranteed.
“It’s not a museum because it is not dedicated entirely to history instead it is the heart of KTM, the epicentre.”
That’s not all
In the basement we have meeting rooms as well as a presentation space where we can run events for up to 400 people. It has a state-of-the-art sound and lighting system, so we envisage having launches, MD meetings and other events like presentations of race teams. We also have a ‘living workshop’ where one of the technicians will be there the whole time and will be restoring old bikes and you can talk and interact with him. In the Innovation Lab, located next to the workshop, kids and teens can experiment with technology like a laser plotter and 3D printers. Students might find it interesting to work in this section as the facilities are on a high level. For sure it will be interesting for school kids making an educational visit.
Staying in Mattighofen
We had a mission statement and it was to allow people to be part of KTM and our technique, visions and heroes. Also to let people know why we are in Mattighofen and what our roots are all about. It was important that the MOTOHALL was located here.
Shop ‘til you drop. I’m very happy that we have about 300 m² for the shop space and to show the whole KTM PowerWear range. The previous shop at the factory was really small and we were limited with what we could put on display. Riding gear is a bit different because you need time to explain technical wear and best left to the dealers. We can keep stock at the factory – which is just next door – but we also have space for stock in the MOTOHALL. The same experienced staff that used to run the factory show has now moved in and I think they are happy to have a much larger and more modern facility.
Reaching the people. One of the great things is that up until now we, as a company, have only really communicated with motorcycle riders and race fans and now we are able to open up to a lot more people: families and kids, grandparents, non-bikers and business partners that want to host an event at the MOTOHALL. For the first time we are really ‘open’ and speaking with everyone. It is a challenge but it is great. What I really love is that we can offer something more. In the past we saw people who have ridden up from Italy and they are standing outside the factory taking photos and selfies; we cannot offer them a tour because the rate of bike production means we need all the space we have. Now, for the first time, we can open our doors and offer them something. We can show them the core of KTM and some of the philosophy as well as a chance to read and hear cool stories, see cool bikes, videos and things they won’t find anywhere else.
information on the KTM MOTOHALL website www.ktm-motohall.com and get in touch with KTM fans.
Initial visitor numbers. It’s hard to say… we have tried to see what other similar concepts have managed but we have to remember that while we are a very strong and interesting brand on the one hand, on the other we are not located in a big city like Munich or Stuttgart. I think if we can attract 60,000 visitors a year at the beginning then this would be fine. Overall it is a little of guesswork but we as team are prepared to offer a comfortable and interesting experience for all national and international visitors.
Franziska Brandl, Managing Director of KTM South Africa:
‘Born and bred in Austria, just down the road from the KTM factory, I had the privilege of witnessing KTM’s incredible success story first hand. The company has quickly become Europe’s largest motorcycle manufacturer and with the launch of exciting products like the 790 Adventure R, that is tailor made for the South African market, the brand has truly taken to new heights over the last couple of years. 2019 now saw the addition of our first electric powered Junior model, the SX-E 5 with a comparable power output to the KTM 50 SX, yet with minimal maintenance and noise and we have a lot of new product in the pipeline going forward. To be able to now share KTM’s history and Ready to Race philosophy with the world makes me incredibly proud and I encourage everyone to make a turn at the KTM Motohall in Mattighofen, it’s an unforgettable experience.’
Read the Full Article on the KTM Website.