The journey of TVS started in 1962 when the company began manufacturing brakes, exhausts, compressors and various other automotive parts. In 1976, a manufacturing plant was set up to manufacture mopeds as a part of its new division, and in 1989, TVS Motor started manufacturing bikes.
Since then, various bike models were manufactured in collaboration and partnership and in 1987, the TVS Racing division was established with the objective of improving the performance of its bikes. In the early 2000s, it was the end of the collaboration era; this is when the company focused on developing expertise in complex mechanisms for engine & transmission. This engineering prowess has evolved over the last two decades, and the new 2023 TVS models that we see right now, be it the Apache RTR series, the NTorq or the Ronin, are a testament to it.
Embracing a Sound Philosophy
The secret lies in a concept that the company has adopted - TQM (Total Quality Management), it was acknowledged for achieving performance improvement through this application and for the same, Mr. Venu Srinivasan was the only corporate chief in the world to sport three prestigious quality medals awarded by JUSU (Union of Japanese Scientist and Engineers).
In this highly competitive automobile industry in India, TVS Racing has provided valuable data, design inputs, and the development of reliable new 2023 models of TVS sports bikes. In terms of industry firsts, TVS Motors was the first company to deploy a catalytic converter in a 100 cc motorcycle and also the first one to indigenously produce a four-stroke motorcycle.
The first-in-industry innovations by TVS Motor include: -
- India’s first motorcycle with digital ignition – TVS Champ
- India’s first fully indigenously developed motorcycle – TVS Victor
- India’s first bike to feature ABS – TVS Apache series
- India’s first scooter to feature Bluetooth/smart connectivity – TVS Ntorq
To showcase product reliability, TVS Motor also took its 2-wheelers to the country’s most demanding test ground – Ladakh. This was done via an initiative named “Himalayan highs” that gave female riders an opportunity to take up a long road trip to conquer Khardung La, and the entourage earned the female riders a place in India Book of Records while also providing TVS Scooty Zest 110 the much-deserved mention.
Aggressive Expansion
As an OEM, TVS Motor solely focuses on outdoing itself. The company pushed forward the same philosophy for the expansion of its supply chain and setting up multiple manufacturing units.
Hosur (HQ) - home to TVS R&D division and three manufacturing units: -
- Hosur Plant 1
- Hosur Plant 2
- Hosur Plant 3
Tirunelveli Plant
Mysore (Karnataka) Plant
Nalagarh (Himachal Pradesh) Plant
Karawang (Indonesia) – manufacturing the global best seller – TVS HLX, clocking 3 million units sold
TVS Motor has always stood for innovative, easy-to-handle, and environment-friendly products, backed by reliable customer service. The strength lies in the company’s extensive research and development, resulting in products that are industry-leading in terms of innovation.
Recently, the company bought a 25% stake in “Killwatt GmBH” (German EV startup), a company that comprises of development, design, manufacturing and distribution of products and components in the field of electric-two/three-wheelers. This will help ensure that the new models of the upcoming 2023 TVS bikes/scooters continue to offer first-in-segment features and a wide range of EV options across all the existing markets.
