Rapidly reducing product lifecycle time has enabled TVS Motor to launch as many as 10 models in two years, even as the company is all set to launch a electric vehicle later this year. The TVS Motor Company Senior Vice-President for R&D, Mr Vinay Harne, told Business Line that the product lifecycle time has been reduced one-third to between 6 months and 12 months. “Launch of more products is the only way to grow in the market,” Mr Harne said. He said while the company cannot control outside influences like recession, it can work towards making products more efficient and offer more choices to the customers.

Focus on R&D

TVS Motor spends about 2.5 per cent of the total turnover of the company on research and development every year. TVS Motor, which won an award for integrated use of CAD (computer-aided design) from Team Tech that organises conferences on manufacturing technologies, is working on developing vehicles, which can run on alternative fuels such as LPG and CNG. It plans to launch two and three wheelers that can run on these fuels as well as hybrid vehicles. “Use of LPG can bring down the cost by 30 per cent and with CNG, costs can be reduced by another 30 per cent,” Mr Harne said. TVS Motor will also launch an electric vehicle based on its Scooty platform later this year.

New technology

Mr Harne said the company’s CCVTi (controlled combustion variable timing intelligent) engine, which will be used for its new two-wheeler, will be able to give 10 per cent more power as well as 10 per cent more fuel efficiency. He said on a 125 cc motorcycle, the newly developed engine will be able to give 10.5 horse power and about 85 km per litre under Indian drive cycle (variable speed cycle). Other vehicles with the same engine capacity offer between 8.5 HP and 9.5 HP. “Very soon we could have ABS (anti-lock braking system) for the two wheelers as we continue to improve the technology,” Mr Harne pointed out.