KTM took its first steps in 1934 as a metallurgical plant in the town of Mattighofen (Braunau district), Austria, founded by the Austrian engineer Hans Trunkenpolz. Later, the company began selling motorcycles from the German brand DKW and Opel cars.

The shop was known as Kraftfahrzeug Trunkenpolz Mattighofen (KTM), referencing “motor vehicle” plus Hans’ surname and the city name, which gave rise to the KTM brand letters.

In 1951, KTM designed the first prototype of what would become its first motorcycle, the R100, fully developed by KTM except for the engine, which used Rotax engines from other manufacturers. In 1953, entrepreneur Ernst Kronreif became the main shareholder of the company, which was renamed Kronreif and Trunkenpolz Mattighofen, keeping the KTM acronym. Shortly after his entry, in 1954, series production of the R100 began.

After the R100, the brand embarked on an unstoppable path to success in Off-Road and competitive motorcycling. With continuous innovation in motorcycle development, by the 1970s KTM began producing its own engines. In 1986, KTM became the first brand to market motorcycles equipped with disc brakes on both the front and rear wheels.

KTM holds an impressive number of world titles in motocross and enduro. The brand has also shined in competitions such as the Rally Dakar, the toughest rally in the world, where KTM was the winning motorcycle brand 18 consecutive times between 2001 and 2019.

Currently, KTM competes in the Motorcycle World Championship across all categories—MotoGP, Moto2, and Moto3—with a record of 4 world titles in Moto3.