Eicher Motors

Delivery and Deliverance

A tale of two parties to a deal and one steadfast old iron engine Text and photos by Ujjwal Dey with illustrations from Wayfarer An Enfield Bullet 350 finds a home after being in limbo for four stressful months. The cast iron engine with right-hand-side gear shift is a well-known legend among motorcyclists, especially purists who don’t want the brand name “Bullet” associated with run-of-mill modern designs & engines. What misadventure occurred and what new adventures await? “First time in life I decided to purchase a used vehicle. An out of production cast-iron engine Enfield Bullet 350cc with right-hand-side gear shift which is the closest thing available to the 1955 Enfield Bullet 350 including chassis and engine design by the Britishers among other things such as dashboard, tank, hand-painted pinstripe, etc. These come with Green Tax for the alleged pollution they may or might be making. I got a fitness test certificate from the Road Transport office, where the ownership change is registered.” — Dey Click here to read this awesome anecdote about ‘love after love’. Believe it! * * * *

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Siddhartha Lal exits Royal Enfield as Eicher seeks to shed ‘family-run’ tag

Siddhartha Lal has appointed Vinod Dasari as Royal Enfield CEO and will support him only on product and brand-related areas The move has striking similarities to his father Vikram Lal’s decision to step away from Eicher Motors more than two decades ago Mumbai: Twenty-two years after Eicher Motors Ltd founder and former chief executive officer (CEO) Vikram Lal gave up his executive powers to let professionals run the company, his son Siddhartha Lal has initiated a similar transition. Lal junior has appointed Ashok Leyland Ltd’s Vinod Dasari as the CEO of the company’s motorcycle brand Royal Enfield. Lal is also giving up his executive responsibilities at Royal Enfield to ensure that Dasari gets a free hand in running the company. The move has striking similarities with the decision made by his father. In 1997, Vikram Lal had stepped down as chairman of Eicher Motors and had elevated Subodh Bhargava as the group’s CEO and chairman. Subsequently, Vikram Lal had joined a newly formed supervisory board to monitor the operations of the group. However, within a few years, Siddharth Lal had taken over the reins at Royal Enfield, which was then on the verge of closure, and revived it. In doing so, Lal also established his grip on the remaining group businesses and consolidated them under two verticals: motorcycles and commercial vehicles. Lal will continue to be the managing director of the parent company for now. “To achieve our audacious goal of 2030, to catalyse and reshape the world of motorcycling towards middle-weights, thereby growing at twice the pace of the industry, I believe that we now need to run the company differently. While I have thoroughly enjoyed being at the helm of Royal Enfield for a large part of the 20 years that I have spent here, I believe I

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