TVS Motor’s rugged HLX motorcycle has crossed five million cumulative sales globally, but the bigger takeaway for the company is that a product built specifically for African roads has become the template for its international growth strategy. The Chennai-based two-wheeler maker is increasingly moving away from simply exporting India-made models and instead developing products for individual markets, backed by local manufacturing, distribution and investments, as it seeks to raise the contribution of overseas business beyond the current one-fourth of its overall volumes.
From Export-Led Model
Launched in 2013, the HLX took six years to cross the one-million sales milestone. The latest million units, however, were sold in less than a year, reflecting strong demand across Africa, Latin America and West Asia. Designed as a rugged, low-maintenance motorcycle for difficult road conditions, the HLX has become one of TVS Motor’s biggest international success stories and a validation of its localisation strategy.
The company has since expanded the approach across geographies. While global brands such as the Apache motorcycle and NTORQ scooter continue to anchor its portfolio, TVS now sells country-specific products such as the Ronin Monotone and Agonda range in Nepal, Neo AMI scooters in Indonesia and the Raider in Egypt. The company describes this as a shift from a predominantly export-led model to a more structured global operation.
KN Radhakrishnan, director and CEO of TVS Motor Company, said overseas expansion has been guided by investments based on a market-by-market and segment-by-segment assessment of future demand. “The new products, including (Apache) RTX, I think these are products, country specific, we can leverage it, take them, and then grow them,” he said during the company’s first-quarter earnings call.
The strategy is beginning to reflect in the numbers. International business contributed about a fourth of TVS Motor’s overall business in FY26. The company reported its highest-ever international two-wheeler volumes of 1.43 million units during the year, accounting for nearly a fourth of its total sales of 5.67 million units. It continues to hold leadership positions in several African and Latin American markets while gaining market share across Asia. During FY26, the company also re-entered South Africa with seven new model launches.
Expanding Premium Brands
TVS is now using the same localisation strategy to expand into developed markets. Its British heritage brand Norton, acquired in 2020, is spearheading the company’s premium ambitions in Europe and North America. Production of the Manx R and Atlas range has commenced, with launches planned this year in the UK, France, Italy, Spain, India and the US.
Chairman Sudarshan Venu said Europe has emerged as the latest pillar of the company’s international growth strategy. TVS has set up a local office in Rome and expanded its distributor and dealer network across the continent. “We are now present in more than 90 countries. We believe Africa and also Latin America and Asia as long-term strategic paths to growth, and are now entering the European market as well,” he said at the company’s annual general meeting last week.
The company is also taking its electric vehicle portfolio overseas. Radhakrishnan said the iQube and Orbiter electric vehicles have already entered international markets and the company expects to introduce its electric three-wheelers soon. To support future demand, TVS plans to raise annual two-wheeler production capacity from 6.8 million units to 8.3 million units by the end of the current fiscal while expanding its Indonesia manufacturing facility, which crossed one million cumulative vehicle sales in FY26.
Despite the momentum, TVS still trails larger export-focused rivals. Bajaj Auto exported nearly two million motorcycles in FY26, with overseas shipments contributing about 45% of its total two-wheeler sales.
