When TVS started pioneering the bus industry in South India, way back in 1912, it ensured both a smooth journey for passengers, but also that the buses started and reached their destination on time. This was revolutionary at a time when other bus operators would wait for a specific number of passengers to board before they started their service. TVS also regulated the system by issuing tickets for the fare they collected, a new practice at that time. To top it all, TVS would send a pilot vehicle ahead of the bus, fitted with a magnet, that cleared all the iron nails on the route. This ensured that the TVS bus services reached their destination on-time, every time. The buses were so reliable that people would set their watch by the arrival of TVS buses.
During World War II there was a severe worldwide oil shortage. In response to this, TVS engineered a portable gas plant that could fit inside a car! The plant produced charcoal gas as a substitute for petrol, this piece of innovation was an instant hit among car and truck users, attaching the miniature gas plant to their vehicles to combat the fuel shortages.
When TVS took the General Motors dealership in 1929, it did not wait for the customers to come to them. Instead, their salesmen were given the task to take the vehicles to Zamindars’ (rich people) houses. They would leave the vehicle with a chauffeur at their house and return via the Zamindar’s horse/bullock cart. This would allow the royal families to use the vehicle in their own time. Today, the concept of a test drive has become a buzzword in the automobile industry, yet it was TVS who used this as USP way back in the 1930s.