After months of negotiations, KTM has sold its car subsidiary KTM Sportcar GmbH, producer of the lightweight KTM X-Bow, to an investor group led by the Belgian De Mevius family, one of the three founding shareholder dynasties of AB InBev. The deal follows KTM’s restructuring under majority owner Bajaj Group, which decided to focus exclusively on its core motorcycle business. Contracts are signed, and closing is pending regulatory approval.
X-Bow production, which has taken place in Graz since 2008, will remain at the same site. Around 30 employees currently build about 100 cars annually, including the recently launched GT-XR supercar. The new owners have announced plans to expand the lineup of road-legal supercars and to create an entirely new offroad branch. While the purchase price has not been officially disclosed, industry insiders estimate it at roughly EUR 10 million (USD 11 million). Reports of EUR 16 million (USD 17.5 million) including the Graz property remain unconfirmed.
The De Mevius family is historically the smallest of the three AB InBev shareholder families, alongside the Spoelberch and Van Damme dynasties. Their wealth traces back to the marriage of Eugène de Mévius with Amélie Willems, heiress of the Stella Artois brewery. Over time, parts of their holdings shifted: one branch merged into the Spoelberch family through marriage, another into the Van Damme group through a later buyout. As a result, the De Mevius remain the smallest of the three clans but still retain a significant stake in AB InBev.
The family also has a long-standing affinity with motorsport. Gregoire de Mevius competed for many years as a professional rally driver, including appearances at the Dakar Rally, and remains closely linked to the sport. His sons Guillaume and Ghislain have followed in his footsteps, competing internationally in rally and offroad racing. This background not only underscores the family’s passion for automobiles but also provides direct expertise and credibility in the future development of KTM’s sports car division.
Prominent member Frédéric de Mevius heads the investment holding Verlinvest, which channels family dividends into new sectors beyond brewing. With assets exceeding EUR 2 billion (USD 2.2 billion), Verlinvest invests globally in consumer goods and food-tech companies. Beyond finance, the family also invests in sustainable agriculture and wine production. On its Domaine de la Falize estate near Namur, one of Belgium’s largest organic farms, the family has developed more than 200 hectares of organic cultivation and planted vineyards. Since 2012, the estate has been producing biodynamic Chardonnay wines that have gained recognition in international wine guides.
With the new acquisition, the De Mevius family adds high-performance automotive engineering to its portfolio. For KTM, the sale secures continuity for the X-Bow brand under independent ownership while maintaining its name under license.
