With the mixed bag of marketing news currently rolling in – TMC to cut shipments, overall growth down in most markets – the swath KTM’s cutting in the media and the showroom is nothing short of astounding.

For a brand that’s seen its share of rudderless drifting, what’s happening now is something the Big 3 US automakers wished they could channel. Editorially, KTM’s all up in everybody’s face these days. And these days it’s orange and black. No, not over there. Over here. Lets take a look at this bad boy badge.

Long known as an off-road outperformer, KTM currently owns the Dakar franchise every way from sundown and has Baja firmly in its sights. Their iconic 450 is the darling of off-road editors across the board. They’ve just introduced a new sports quad that oozes sex appeal. But the most audacious crossover has to be the X-Bow concept car introduced at the Geneva auto show.

Lets walk the powersports evolutionary time frame back a few feet. Bombardier Can-Am BRP spends much time and money on their 3-wheeler front-steer rear-push Spyder trike. Neat you say, but why? Over the top web site, attention to detail, thrills galore. But why?

Now comes X-Bow, which is, apparantly, destined to be fully licensable in Europe. And is promised by management to be here sooner, not later. This is real outside-the-box thinking, a four-wheeler that’s unmistakably auto but not automotive in heritage. This could only have come from adventure riders, not boulevard drivers.

When you recall predictable marketing floperoo’s like Corbin’s Sparrow – a veritable textbook of goofs and gaffes that made the DeLorean look like the new Mustang – it’s hard to pin down the defining difference between inspired and just tired. Make no mistake: X-Bow, if it can navigate the twists and turns of the governmental approval process, stands to emerge as a monster hit for Europe’s second largest motorcycle manufacturer – it says so right on their web site – complete with the throwdown slogan of “Ready to Race”.

Are these cats serious? Yeah, I’d say so. Style + attitude + fresh = thumbs up and stay tuned.