History

TVS Motor Company is a multinational motorcycle company headquartered at Chennai, India. It is the third largest motorcycle company in India with a revenue of over ₹20,000 crore (US$2.9 billion) in 2018-19. The company has an annual sales of 3 million units and an annual capacity of over 4 million vehicles. TVS Motor Company is also the 2nd largest exporter in India with exports to over 60 Countries.

TVS Motor Company Ltd (TVS Motor), a member of the TVS Group, is the largest company of the group in terms of size and turnover.

TVS was established by T V Sundaram Iyengar. He began with Madurai's first bus service in 1911 and founded T.V. Sundaram Iyengar and Sons Limited, a company in the transportation business with a large fleet of trucks and buses under the name of Southern Roadways Limited. When he died in 1955, his sons took the company ahead with several forays in the automobile sector, including finance, insurance, two-wheelers/ three wheelers, tyres and components, housing, aviation, logistics etc. The group has operated 97 companies that account for a combined turnover of nearly US$6 billion.

Early history

Sundaram Clayton was founded in 1962 in collaboration with Clayton Dewandre Holdings, United Kingdom. It manufactured brakes, exhausts, compressors and various other automotive parts. The company set up a plant at Hosur in 1978, to manufacture mopeds as part of their new division. In 1980, TVS 50, India's first two-seater moped rolled out of the factory at Hosur in Tamil Nadu, Southern India. A technical collaboration with the Japanese auto giant Suzuki Ltd. resulted in the joint-venture between Sundaram Clayton Ltd and Suzuki Motor Corporation, in 1982. Commercial production of motorcycles began in 1984.

Suzuki relationship

TVS and Suzuki shared a 19-year-long relationship that was aimed at technology transfer for design and manufacture of two-wheelers specifically for the Indian market. Re-christened TVS-Suzuki, the company brought out several models such as the Suzuki Supra, Suzuki Samurai, Suzuki Shogun and Suzuki Shaolin. In 2001, after separating ways with Suzuki, the company was renamed TVS Motor, relinquishing its rights to use the Suzuki name. There was also a 30-month moratorium period during which Suzuki promised not to enter the Indian market with competing two-wheelers.

Recent

TVS Apache RR 310 is their latest 310cc motorcycle
TVS Scooty Streak - one of the discontinued scooter of Scooty series
TVS also competes in the 3 Wheeler segment

Recent Launches include the flagship model TVS Apache RR 310, the TVS Apache RTR 200, TVS Victor and TVS XL 100. TVS has recently won 4 top awards at J.D. Power Asia Pacific Awards 2016, 3 top awards at J.D. Power Asia Pacific Awards 2015 & Two-Wheeler Manufacturer of the Year at NDTV Car & Bike Awards (2014–15)

In early 2015, TVS Racing became the first Indian factory team to take part in the Dakar Rally, the world's longest and most dangerous rally. TVS Racing partnered with French motorcycle manufacturer Sherco , and named the team Sherco TVS Rally Factory Team. TVS Racing also won the Raid de Himalaya and the FOX Hill Super Cross held at Sri Lanka. In three decades of its racing history, TVS Racing has won over 90% of the races it participates in.

In 2016 TVS started manufacturing the BMW G310R, a model co-developed with BMW Motorrad after their strategic partnership in April 2013. In December 2018, the Hosur plant where the motorcycle is manufactured rolled out its 50,000th G310R series unit.

On 6 December 2017, TVS launched their most-awaited motorcycle, the Apache RR 310 in an event at Chennai. The 310cc motorcycle with an engine which was co-developed with BMW features first ever full fairing on a TVS bike, dual-channel ABS, EFI, KYB suspension kits, etc. It is expected to rival bikes like KTM RC 390, Kawasaki Ninja 250SL, Bajaj Pulsar and Dominar and Honda CBR 250R after hitting the market. The Apache RR 310 is designed and realised entirely in India.

Source Wikipedia