Is KTM saying bye bye to the Philippines?
Back in July, MotoPinas broke the news: KTM is cutting ties with its Philippine distributor, Lucky MAPI, effective September 30, 2025. This non-renewal of ties was actually a direct result of the Bajaj buyout in May.
Now, with the deadline just days away, and despite our numerous e-mails to KTM, the brand has yet to name a replacement. Come October 1, the orange brand could find itself without a home in the Philippines.
When asked what happens if KTM fails to name a new distributor after September 30, Lucky MAPI didn’t mince words. Dan Abelarde, Head of CRM, Marketing and Dealer Development, admitted that while they would like to keep delivering KTM units to customers, the contract’s expiration and legal restrictions will force them to stop cold. In short, without a successor, KTM sales in the Philippines come to a standstill.
“We cannot continue even if we wanted to, as we will no longer be recognized as [an] official distributor,” Abelarde told MotoPinas.com.
He further said, “But we will continue to offer our support to dealers in an unofficial capacity to help with the transition to the new distributor, because the end users’/community’s ownership experience is very important to us. It’s already unpleasant… we want to minimize their anxiety. We are doing our best.”
We are still waiting for an official response from KTM as of this writing.
