KTM’s X-Bow car arm has put a Volkswagen Group turbo four, the same EA888 2.0-liter used in the Golf R, behind the seats of a new side-by-side called the Arrow. Standard cars make 280 horsepower, and a numbered Black Limited Edition is targeted at up to 330. Deliveries are not expected until late 2027.
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The Arrow lands in a segment dominated by Can-Am and Polaris machines, and it arrives with a price that sits well above either. A base car is indicated at roughly $60,000, and the Black edition near $99,000.
EA888 power and the dual-clutch drivetrain
Carscoops, in a report by Chris Chilton, describes the engine as a Golf R unit stashed behind two seats. The detailed spec sheet carried by UTV Guide identifies it as the EA888 EVO4, a direct-injected, turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder of Audi and Volkswagen origin, with power going through a seven-speed DQ381 dual-clutch gearbox. Both Arrow versions carry a low-range system inside the transmission for technical terrain. Drive reaches all four wheels through limited-slip differentials at the front and rear, according to Carscoops.
Output is where the two versions split. The standard Arrow is listed at 280 hp. The Black Limited Edition is described by Carscoops as serving up 330 hp, while UTV Guide words it as up to 330 hp targeted, and states that every specification is preliminary and subject to change before production.
The 500-unit Black Limited Edition and its extras
Only 500 numbered Black cars will be built worldwide. Beyond the power bump, Carscoops lists a premium audio system, air conditioning, roof-mounted LED lighting, uprated brakes, electrically adjustable dampers, hydraulic bump stops and active anti-roll bars. UTV Guide notes that air conditioning is standard on the Black edition, while its presence on the standard Arrow is not confirmed. Suspension is a shared strength. Both cars use double wishbones with up to 23.6 inches (600 mm) of travel and KW Reiger dampers, and a 4,500-pound winch can be moved from the front of the vehicle to the rear.
The arithmetic of the two versions is worth spelling out. Moving from the standard Arrow to the Black edition adds 50 horsepower on paper, along with the chassis hardware and cabin items on Carscoops’s list, for a gap of about $39,000 at the reported prices. Most of that money buys equipment that manages the suspension and cabin rather than raw speed, and the 330 hp figure remains a target rather than a certified rating.
Pricing, reservations and the Can-Am comparison
Carscoops reports that a base Arrow reportedly costs around $60,000 and the Black edition $99,000, and sets those figures beside a starting price of $39,699 for a Can-Am Maverick. UTV Guide gives indicative U.S. prices of $59,800 and $98,600, converted at an assumed rate of one dollar to 0.90 euro, and warns the final figures could shift.
Reservations open on Nov. 17 through KTM X-Bow dealers and the brand’s website, per UTV Guide, and first deliveries are expected in late 2027. KTM’s own X-Bow site lists both the Arrow and the Arrow Black Limited Edition under its off-road range, though its product page could not be read when this article was prepared, so the figures above come from the two outlets.
The Arrow is not the only X-Bow product aimed at American buyers this autumn. Carscoops reported on Oct. 30 that the road-legal X-Bow GT-XA will be sold in the U.S. for the first time in nearly 20 years, limited to 30 examples at a price expected to start around $490,000, with orders open against a $50,000 deposit. That car uses Audi’s turbocharged 2.5-liter five-cylinder at 592 horsepower, which puts the four-cylinder Arrow at the accessible end of the brand’s range, even at $60,000.
Who is behind the Arrow
The ownership story explains why a sports-car maker is building a dirt machine. Carscoops notes that a Belgian investor group led by Guillaume de Mevius, who finished second at the 2024 Dakar Rally, bought KTM’s car division, while Bajaj took over the core motorcycle business. UTV Guide credits de Mevius, who competes through the G Rally Team and X-Bow Lab Team, with helping shape the project, and says development driver Puck Klaassen supplied feedback as an Arrow ambassador.
The side-by-side idea surfaced in racing first. The World Rally-Raid Championship reported on April 3 that a consortium of five Belgians had bought the X-Bow business in 2025, and quoted de Mevius saying KTM will enter competition through his team in the SSV category. RideApart had already described an X-Bow race vehicle built with G Rally Team in December 2025, with two crews planned for the 2026 Dakar Rally.
The racing link gives the Arrow a credible origin, but it also leaves open how many of the 500 Black cars will find buyers at a price more than two and a half times a Maverick’s starting figure. Reservations from Nov. 17 will give the first real answer.
This article was produced with the assistance of AI and reviewed by Morning Overview editors prior to publication.
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