Here's What KTM Told Its Dealer Network About the Company's Future

Following the January 24 developments in KTM's restructuring process, KTM North America naturally wanted to assuage the concerns of its dealer network. So it sent a letter to dealers informing them of the updates learned at that most recent hearing, as well as underlining its plans to support its dealer network through this difficult period.

The letter, which RideApart has seen, refers to the restructuring process as being "2/3 successfully completed." It also notes that the interest from potential investors has so far not resulted in any binding, signed agreements, but has been strong enough to allow the court to continue giving KTM leeway to self-administer its restructuring process. The troubled OEM characterizes this as "a clear vote of confidence in our future viability." It then goes on to state that, "we are now entering the third and final phase of this process."

And then, we get to one of the pieces of information that has so far dominated international headlines regarding KTM's most recent developments: Stefan Pierer's move away from his previous CEO title. I'll quote the KTM letter to its dealer network directly here, so you can see how it's phrased with no interjection on my part.

STEFAN PIERER HANDS OVER LEADERSHIP TO GOTTFRIED NEUMEISTER

On January 23, 2025, Stefan Pierer officially handed over the leadership of KTM to Gottfried Neumeister. Since acquiring KTM in 1992, Stefan Pierer has transformed the company from a regional motorcycle manufacturer into a globally recognized brand with legendary status in the motorcycle industry. Today, KTM stands for innovation, performance, and a spirit of adventure for millions of fans like no other brand - values that will remain at the forefront under the new leadership.

"KTM has always been more than just a company to me - it has been and continues to be a passion, a mission, and a family. The decision to hand over the reins was not an easy one. However, I am deeply convinced that Gottfried Neumeister, with his strategic vision and dedication, is the right person to lead KTM into the future," says Stefan Pierer. 

Stefan Pierer will continue to support Gottfried Neumeister throughout the restructuring process as Co-CEO.

Separately, Pierer Mobility AG (KTM AG's parent company) also released this news as an ad hoc document for its investors last week, at which point I also reported on the news. 

There, Pierer's statement was a little bit simpler. It read: 

Stefan Pierer hands over CEO role to Gottfried Neumeister

Stefan Pierer will hand over the role of CEO of PIERER Mobility AG and KTM AG to Gottfried Neumeister and will continue to support him as Co-CEO during the restructuring process.

As I said then and will say again now, it's surely worth noting that prior to this current change, Stefan Pierer and Gottfried Neumeister were also the sole two members of the board (after trimming the board's members from six to two in the last quarter of 2024). Furthermore, Neumeister had already been named Co-CEO alongside Stefan Pierer as CEO as the restructuring process began.

So effectively, how this appears is that the two top members of the organization are simply changing positions. As such, it's also unclear how much of a power shift this actually is.

Both the ad hoc statement and the letter from KTM NA to its dealer network mention that Pierer will remain as Co-CEO to support Neumeister during the restructuring process. That phrasing seems to imply that Pierer may no longer fulfill that role once the restructuring process is complete. But again, this isn't totally clear.

RideApart has reached out to AKV Europa to ask for clarification. We will be sure to update this piece with any new information we learn.

As for the remainder of KTM NA's letter to its dealer network, it goes on to mention that production will resume at Mattighofen in mid-March; that dealer support initiatives are underway; and that KTM won once more at Dakar 2025 and in AMA Supercross.

Good news, to be sure; but probably more than a little bittersweet.