VOLKSWAGEN'S FIRST BIKE

German giant gets in the saddle as it plans first-ever motorcycle. Car giant Volkswagen is getting on its bike to produce this: its first-ever motorcycle.It’s not only the bike market VW is looking to muscle in on: it sees potential in three wheels, too

The company is set to team up with Austrian motorbike manufacturer KTM to develop the two-wheeler. And our picture shows how the new machine is likely to look.

KTM’s first attempt at a road car, the track-biased X-Bow, was developed with help from VW’s engineers, and even makes use of the 2.0-litre turbo from the Audi TT. So tapping into KTM’s motorcycle know-how to build this bike is an ideal way to repay the favour!

The two-wheeler would pitch VW head-to-head with fellow German giant BMW, which is already established in the motorcycle industry.

But it’s not only the bike market that VW is looking to muscle in on: it sees potential in three wheels, too. Cast your mind back to the 2006 Los Angeles Motor Show, and you might recall the GX-3 concept. It now looks as though production of the firm’s wacky motorbike/car hybrid could be back on the agenda.

The vehicle stunned showgoers with a combination of space-age styling and top performance credentials, although bosses deemed the legal hurdles of selling the ‘trike’ as a motorcycle – and the damage that it could do to VW’s credibility as a car maker – too significant to give it the green light. However, they have now said that if the firm was to produce motorcycles as well as cars in the future, the GX-3 could justifiably make it to production.

And the three-wheeler could be just the vehicle driving enthusiasts of the future are looking for. As it has a lightweight chassis, a frugal 125bhp 1.6-litre engine would provide searing performance – and all this with the ground-hugging stance of a roadster and the manoeuvrability of a motorbike.