The group's subsidiaries are owned by three holding companies, viz., TVS & Sons, Sundaram Industries and TVS Holding Companies.

The family is from the Iyengar community – Tamil Brahmins who are adherents of Sri Vaishnavism – hailing from Tirunelveli district.

Sundram Iyengar qualified as a lawyer, and later worked in the Indian Railways and later in a bank.

[4][5] Sundram Iyengar and Lakshmi Ammal had eight children – five sons and three daughters.

[6] Of the daughters, Dr. T. S. Soundram was a physician, social reformer and politician.