BMW Group India suffered another loss on April 20th with President and CEO when Rudratej Singh passed away from a massive cardiac arrest. From the other side of bleak news Hero Motor Corp., India’s largest motorcycle manufacturer has been busy donating all over the country to help combat COVID-19, AMERiders has your information.
BMW Group India Suffers Loss
BMW Group India president and chief executive officer Rudratej Singh died yesterday of cardiac arrest. He was only 46 years old, and had taken on both positions at the head of BMW Group India as of August 1, 2019.
Prior to Singh’s term at BMW, he was Global President of Royal Enfield and oversaw some of the company’s recent meteoric international growth during his four-year tenure with the company. The widely acclaimed 650 Twins made their first appearances on the world stage under Singh’s watchful eye.
“BMW Group India, with profound sorrow, announces the demise of Rudratej Singh (46), President and Chief Executive Officer on April 20. The cause behind the sudden and unexpected demise is yet to be ascertained. Our prayers are with his family and loved ones during this difficult period,” the company said in a statement.
“Rudratej Singh joined BMW Group India on 1 August 2019. His transformational vision and strategic orientation played a crucial role in navigation of BMW Group India in a challenging business environment. His demise comes at a crucial junction when BMW Group India was in midst of implementing strategic measures for strengthening the dealer network across India,” the statement continued.
Since making that announcement, sources including Bloomberg have confirmed that Singh suffered ‘a massive cardiac arrest.’ His death comes less than a month after the death of BMW Group India’s Sales Director, Mihir Dayal, who died of cancer earlier in April. In the interim, chief financial officer Arlindo Teixeira has been appointed acting president.
Times haven’t been easy for the motorcycle or automotive industries, particularly in the midst of our current global pandemic. The challenges Singh faced when he took control at Royal Enfield were considerable, yet he managed to improve both the brand’s perception and its profitability while at the helm. It’s unclear what the future might have held for BMW under Singh’s leadership, but we send our best to his family, friends, and coworkers in this difficult time.
Hero Motor Corp. Donates Ambulances
Pretty much no one in the world would say these last few months haven’t been rough, as the entire globe deals with our ongoing pandemic. It’s important to remember that some people are doing their best to help, though, and it’s one positive thing during this otherwise bleak time. Take Hero Motor Corp., for example. India’s largest motorcycle manufacturer has been busy donating 15,000 meals per day to hungry citizens in need across the country.
Now the company is also donating 60 Hero Xtreme 200R motorcycles to local authorities. They’re not just any Hero Xtreme 200Rs, though. These are special mobile ambulance motorcycles, designed to access extremely rural and remote locations where it’s hard to get a traditional car- or truck-based ambulance. This should give those residents improved access to emergency care when they need it most.
What’s so special about these ambulance bikes? As you’d expect, they come equipped with a siren and flashing lights, as well as a radio for communicating with other emergency services on the road. They’re also outfitted with a first aid kit. Additionally, they come with a full stretcher mounted to the side, kind of like a fully-reclined sidecar. That way, emergency riders can transport a patient in need of further medical care to the nearest hospital as quickly as possible.
Each unit also comes with a fire extinguisher and an oxygen tank, as well as a bright LED light that can be aimed to administer emergency first aid, even in badly lit areas. These seem like useful bikes for rural communities to have in general, not just during this global pandemic. It seems like they’ll likely be very helpful in the years to come, as well.
It’s unclear whether Hero MotoCorp intends to deploy additional ambulance bikes around the country. Perhaps if these are well-received, another round of bikes like these will be in order. With their 200cc engines, they have plenty of power to take a patient to their nearest medical facility for treatment.
~And as always…
~Live Free Ride Hard~
~AMERiders
and
Let AMERiders keep you up to date with information BMW Group India Suffers Loss & Hero Motor Corp. Donates Ambulances.
And as always don’t forget to send us your stories, pictures, and events for posting to GALLERY.AMERIDERS @ GMAIL.COM and we will post them for you. The more people that know about your event the better and we are offering free advertising. We would also love to hear about your rides and love to see those bikes so send those stories and pictures.
Like what you just read? Share it on social media ( Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google+, and Instagram) with others and let them get the information and benefit from it as well.